- Dr. Mehmet Oz is one of 28 candidates running for PA Sen. Pat Toomey's seat in 2022.
- Oz attacked the Philadelphia Inquirer for dropping his doctor title, a standard journalistic practice.
- Two other candidates who are running against Oz for the Senate seat are also physicians.
During a Monday interview with Steve Doocy on "Fox and Friends," Dr. Oz claimed that the Philadelphia Inquirer daily newspaper is trying to silence him by referring to him by his name, Mehmet Oz, in its coverage of the 2022 US Senate election in Pennsylvania.
—Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) December 13, 2021
Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, university professor, and author, announced on November 30 that he is running as a Republican candidate for the Senate seat, which is being vacated by long-serving Sen. Pat Toomey. He joins the race alongside 27 other candidates: 12 Republicans, 14 Democrats, and a Libertarian.
"Why would [the Inquirer] not want to call me Dr. Oz? Everyone knows I'm Dr. Oz, but they don't think it's the right thing to do. They think it gives me an unfair advantage," Oz said.
While Oz lambasted the local newspaper for dropping his doctor title, the practice is standard in newsrooms that follow the Associated Press Stylebook, an American English grammar style and usage guide created by journalists working for or connected with the Associated Press.
Oz is also not the only doctor vying for Toomey's Senate seat. In its coverage, the Inquirer has also dropped the titles of two other candidates, physician Valerie Arkoosh and emergency medicine doctor Kevin Baumlin.
"The Inquirer hates, hates, that I'm empowering you, hates that I'm taking on some of the established folks, hates that the entrepreneurial solutions that I'm offering might make sense," Oz told Doocy, who echoed concerns that the newspaper is "trying to cancel" him.
Oz has recently incorporated this sentiment into his campaign's marketing strategy. In multiple recent campaign videos, Oz has claimed that the "liberal media" is trying to cancel him because his campaign is gaining momentum.
—Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) December 8, 2021
"This morning [the Inquirer] just announced, 'No more doctor,' even though I'm a practicing physician. I've taken care of patients. I've done thousands of heart surgeries. They don't want to call me doctor anymore. I won't be canceled," Oz said in a recent campaign video on his Twitter account.