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Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Republican millionaire best known for pushing conspiracy theories and endorsing unproven products and non-scientific advice who is running in the 2022 Senate election in Pennsylvania, was perfectly trolled by his Democratic opponent over his ties to New Jersey and minimal ties to Pennsylvania.
Earlier, The Philadelphia Inquirerreported Oz lived in North Jersey for more than three decades. And while Oz has said he moved to Pennsylvania in 2020 and lived with his in-laws, his social media posts and campaign ads have showed him still in New Jersey.
These facts prompted Oz's opponent, John Fetterman to enlist none other than Nicole "Snooki" LaValle — best known for starring on the reality series Jersey Shore — to troll him for living in the state.
Fetterman uploaded to social media a video of Snooki that appears to have been taken with the online service Cameo, which allows users to access thousands of celebrities and request personalized video messages for any ocassions.
While it is unclear if Snooki knew her video would be used to publicly attack a political candidate, Fetterman's campaign has frequently criticized Oz's New Jersey ties as part of its own social media campaigns.
You can watch the video below.
\u201cHey @DrOz \ud83d\udc4b\n\nJERSEY loves you + will not forget you!!! \ud83e\udd70\u201d— John Fetterman (@John Fetterman) 1657831512
Snooki, facing the camera, says:
"Hey, Mehmet! This is Nicole "Snooki" and I'm from Jersey Shore. I don't know if you've seen it before but I'm a hot mess on a reality show basically and I enjoy life."
"But I heard that you moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to look for a new job, and personally I don't know why anyone would wanna leave Jersey 'cause it's like the best place ever and we're all hot messes, but I want to say best of luck to you."
"I know you're away from home and you're in a new place but Jersey will never forget you."
"I just wanna let you know I will not forget you. But don't worry! You'll be back in Jersey soon. This is only temporary."
"So good luck, you got this, and Jersey loves you!"
Fetterman's campaign has devoted significant time to criticizing Oz on social media since Fetterman had to leave the trail after suffering a near-fatal stroke in May.
The video soon went viral and as far as many were concerned, it was clearly an example of smart social media campaigning.
\u201cI love John Fetterman\u2019s attack humor.\u201d— Duty To Warn \ud83d\udd09 (@Duty To Warn \ud83d\udd09) 1657896430
\u201cSpending $400 on a Snooki Cameo to remind everyone in PA that international quack of mystery Mehmet Oz lives in Jersey is top-drawer trolling by the #FettermanForSenate campaign.\n\nSuperb.\u201d— Seamus Ryan (@Seamus Ryan) 1657837717
\u201cThe thing the @JohnFetterman campaign has figured out is that a) having fun is appealing and contagious and b) the most effective weapon against fascists is mockery. Don't debate them, make then look ridiculous.\u201d— Katia Yaga\ud83d\uddfd (@Katia Yaga\ud83d\uddfd) 1657838078
\u201cWhoever is running the Fetterman campaign should get a raise\u2026this is fantastic!\u201d— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@Wu-Tang Is For The Children) 1657841069
\u201cWhatever political strategist came up with this is a genius.\u201d— Meghan McCain (@Meghan McCain) 1657841342
\u201cReplace all political ads with clips of @snooki throwing shade. Please and thank you\u201d— M@ (@M@) 1657842999
\u201cThis is the greatest political ad I\u2019ve ever seen. \n\nDemocrats - take note. This guy knows how to win in 2022.\u201d— Tim Fullerton (@Tim Fullerton) 1657844048
\u201cHey @DrOz - \nJersey loves you, dude. And @snooki knows you\u2019ll be back soon! \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\u201d— Ken Olin (@Ken Olin) 1657860846
\u201cThis is the best thing I have ever seen a campaign do. Easily. 10/10 Fetterman team.\u201d— Arianna Miskin, MPH\u2600 (@Arianna Miskin, MPH\u2600) 1657861063
Oz has spent much of his campaign criticizing President Joe Biden, whom he infamously once tried to blame for the price of groceries.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration fired Oz from his post on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, saying that the decision was made because it is against the administration's policy to have federal candidates sit on presidential councils.
Oz lashed out afterward, claiming that his firing was politically motivated, and vowed that "The Woke Left will not silence or stop me from being a bold, conservative voice in the U.S. Senate."