McCormick concedes in Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary

Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick bowed out of Pennsylvania’s Senate Republican primary after failing to close a nearly 1,000-vote gap with celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz.

His concession comes after weeks of contentious contest that ended with each candidate winning 31 percent of the vote, and both campaigns projecting victory once all ballots were counted. The candidates have been locked in a recount, with court cases bogging down the race as McCormick’s team sued for undated mail-in ballots to be counted.

Though Oz has already declared himself the “presumptive Republican” nominee, McCormick’s withdrawal from the race guarantees the Trump-endorsed Oz will face-off with Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman in November — a key race that could determine the control of a closely divided Senate.

McCormick thanked his campaign team and voters who put their “trust” in him, and he talked about his commitment to making sure all Republican votes were counted.

“It’s now clear to me, with the recount largely complete, that we have a nominee. And today, I called Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory, and I told him what I always said to you, that I will do my part to try to unite Republicans and Pennsylvanians behind his candidacy, behind his nomination for the Senate,” McCormick said. “It is so important for Pennsylvanians, so important that we beat John Fetterman."