As I noted on Tuesday, the crowded Republican field in the Pennsylvania Senate race somehow has no candidates who have ever been elected to public office. It now has a major celebrity candidate in Mehmet Oz. Republicans ought to give Dr. Oz a hearing, given the electoral assets he brings to the table, but it would be foolhardy to let him walk to a nomination without proving himself against a serious primary test.
The one experienced public servant in the race, former ambassador Carla Sands, just dropped a $1 million TV buy behind an ad attacking Joe Biden’s Build Back Better spending plan. It’s perhaps the first major ad campaign, at least in a big swing state, by a Republican candidate taking direct aim at Biden’s plan, and while the ad is a simple one, it is a reminder: Sometimes, the best way to stand out in a primary race is not by attacking your primary opponents but by previewing your willingness to go on offense against the other party.