With the GOP Senate primary in Pennsylvania just seven weeks away on May 17, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick appears to be rising and has taken the lead in several recent polls.
The Pennsylvania race has drawn national attention with Dr. Mehmet Oz's decision to join the race, a race considered key for Republican hopes of taking control of the Senate.
According to a just-completed TargetPoint poll among likely primary voters statewide, former Treasury Department official and multimillionaire McCormick leads Oz by 25 to 19 percent.
A recent Fox News poll shows McCormick defeating Oz by 24 to 15 percent among likely primary voters.
Primary polling data is unpredictable and subject to wild swings.
In February, for example, the Trafalgar poll had Oz leading by 11 points.
Both McCormick and Oz are considered strong supporters of Donald Trump.
The former president, a longtime personal friend of Oz's, has yet to make any endorsement in the race.
Trailing behind McCormick and Oz are businesswoman Carla Sands (who also served as President Trump's ambassador to Denmark) at 11 percent, former Lieutenant Governor nominee and conservative populist Jeff Bartos at 10 percent, and TV commentator Kathy Barnette with 5 percent.
Almost to a person, Keystone State sources who spoke to Newsmax agreed that McCormick's surge is due to a multi-million dollar ad buy that attacks Oz as a state outsider.
"I attribute the lead McCormick now holds to the effectiveness of a barrage of negative ads his SuperPAC is running against Oz," said veteran conservative activist Lowman Henry, chief organizer of the annual Pennsylvania Leadership Conference (PLC), the state's version of CPAC.
In recent weeks, Oz has also come under fierce criticism for holding dual citizenship with Turkey.
Oz was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but his parents were born in Turkey and immigrated to the United States.
Though he says he held the citizenship for family and sentimental reasons, Oz has announced he will renounce his Turkish citizenship before entering the Senate.
With the race so close, and Oz so famous, former President Trump's endorsement could be crucial.
Trump has spoken highly of his friend Oz, and the two share a similar pathway from mega-TV stardom to politics.
But Trump has also had a close working relationship with Dina Powell, McCormick's wife, who I hear Trump holds in high regard. Powell served on Trump's National Security Council staff in the White House.
A source close to Trump tells me that whoever prevails in the GOP primary, the winner will be an ally of the former president, and that's all that matters.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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