Parker Wallis
As part of John Fetterman’s social media campaign against his opponent in the Senate race, Fetterman’s campaign tweeted a video of Jersey Shore icon Snooki mockingly endorsing GOP candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
On July 10th, the campaign posted the Cameo video of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, with the caption “Hey @DrOz JERSEY loves you + will not forget you!!!” and a smiling emoji.
In the video, Snooki greets Dr. Oz and says, “I heard that you moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to get a new job,” in reference to Dr. Oz registering the address of his in-laws in order to vote and run for Senate in Pennsylvania. For more than two decades, Oz has lived in his Cliffside Park home in New Jersey as recently as 2020, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Snooki continues, saying, “Personally, I don’t know why anyone would want to leave Jersey because it’s, like, the best place ever. And we’re all hot messes. But I want to say best of luck to you.”
She concludes the video with, “Don’t worry because you’ll be back home in Jersey soon. This is only temporary, so good luck.”
According to MSNBC contributor Sam Stein, the Snooki clip cost the campaign about $390. The video is one branch of Fetterman’s social media campaign against Oz to paint him as an outsider.
Fetterman’s efforts have been relentless. In one instance, Oz filmed a campaign video in his New Jersey home, and Fetterman’s campaign matched pictures of Oz’s ad with photos of his opulent mansion from a 2020 People’s magazine. Fetterman then tweeted, “Pro tip: don’t film an ad for your PA senate campaign from your mansion in New Jersey.”
Earlier this month, Fetterman paid for a plane to fly a banner above the Jersey Shore, which read “”HEY DR. OZ. WELCOME HOME TO NJ! LOVE, JOHN.” Fetterman later tweeted, “To all yinz + youse down the shore today: hope you saw my very nice message to one of NJ’s famous longtime residents.”
Dr. Oz recently stopped by the famous Philadelphia eatery Pat’s and Geno’s and posted photos to his Twitter. Fetterman wasted no time to comment, “Ah yes, the trip to Pat’s + Geno’s — a rite of passage for every tourist.”
Fetterman himself has been out of the public eye for a while, still recovering from a stroke in mid-May. Fetterman made an impromptu in-person appearance during a volunteer training session on July 9th and told attendees, “I am feeling so great, and we will be back out on the trail soon. We’re almost at 100%.”
A TV ad currently airing depicts the Democratic candidate describing the race as a “fundamental choice” between himself, who got into politics to be a mayor in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Oz, a man who “just moved here to run for office.”
Dr. Oz’s campaign has deflected questions about his residency, with a press officer pointing reporters to a Dr. Oz Tweet. Snooki has not yet made a comment about her viral video.
