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View Co-Hosts React to Dr. Oz Senate Campaign: 'He's Gone Over To the Dark Side'

The View
The View

The View/YouTube The View

While The View co-hosts don't always agree on their topics of discussion, the panel was near-unanimous in their criticism of Dr. Mehmet Oz's recently-announced run for Senate in Pennsylvania on Wednesday's show.

"What happened to him?" Joy Behar asked, after a clip of Oz's Tuesday night appearance on Fox News was shown. "What happened to him? He's gone over to the dark side. Oh my god."

Elsewhere in the segment, Behar noted that she is friends with Oz, calling him "very, very, personally, a doll," and saying she had been to his house for dinner.

"This is some political aspiration that he has that must be controlled," Behar continued. "Mehmet, please, come back."

RELATED: What Happens to The Dr. Oz Show Now That He's Running For Office

Whoopi Goldberg, meanwhile, took issue with Oz's campaign announcement in The Washington Examiner, in which he criticized the lockdowns and mandates enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Elites with yards told those without yards to stay inside, where the virus was more likely to spread," Oz wrote. "And the arrogant, closed-minded people in charge closed our parks, shuttered our schools, shut down our businesses, and took away our freedom."

"You don't have the right to talk to people like this," Goldberg said in response. "Talking about elites and who isn't elite — dude, we live in a similar area!"

Co-host Sara Haines also criticized the reference to "elites," saying, "He keeps speaking of and pushing back against elites, but I'm curious what his definition is, as a New York City doctor — what's an elite if you aren't an elite? Like who are you pushing back on?"

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The cardiothoracic surgeon and television personality has already raised eyebrows for his Republican run for Senate in Pennsylvania, with many questioning his ties to the area, considering he has lived and worked in New Jersey for decades.

Oz began voting in Pennsylvania's elections via absentee ballot earlier this year, and his Pennsylvania registration is tied to an address owned by his in-laws, the AP reports.

Behar noted the discrepancy on Wednesday's show, saying, "Why is he running in Pennsylvania when he lives in New Jersey?"

RELATED: Dr. Oz Announces Pennsylvania Senate Campaign

Dr. Oz officially announced that he is running for Senate Tuesday, writing in The Washington Examiner his campaign is meant "to help fix the problems and to help us heal."

The Pennsylvania Senate seat Oz is eyeing is currently held by Republican Senator Pat Toomey, who won't be running for re-election after serving in the Senate since 2011.

The leading Republican candidate seeking to fill Toomey's seat — Trump-endorsed Army veteran Sean Parnell — suspended his campaign last week after losing a custody battle amid allegations of abuse by his estranged wife.