WASHINGTON — Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman is getting some help from reality-T.V. star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi to take digs at his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, for living in New Jersey before announcing his run in Pennsylvania.
"Hey Mehmet! This is Nicole 'Snooki' and I'm from 'Jersey Shore.' I don't know if you've seen of it before, but I'm a hot mess on a reality show, basically, and I enjoy life," Polizzi said in a video posted by Fetterman on Twitter.
Fetterman, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, shared the video and wrote, "Hey @DrOz JERSEY loves you + will not forget you!!!" with a smiling heart emoji.
Polizzi continued by saying she heard that Oz moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to "look for a new job."
"And personally, I don't know why anyone would want to leave Jersey because it's, like, the best place ever," she said. "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 not forget you. I just want to let you know I will not forget you."
She concluded by saying, "Don't worry because you'll be back home in Jersey soon. This is only temporary, so good luck."
Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke he suffered in May right before he won the Democratic primary, has made a point of taking aim at the celebrity doctor's decision to run in Pennsylvania after living in New Jersey for many years. Last weekend, Fetterman paid for a banner to be flown by plane above the Jersey Shore that said, "HEY DR. OZ. WELCOME HOME TO NJ! LOVE, JOHN."
The Democrat tweeted Sunday, "To all yinz + youse down the shore today: hope you saw my very nice message to one of NJ’s famous longtime residents."
In the same thread, Fetterman asked if Oz could see Pennsylvania from his "sprawling mansion" in New Jersey.
When Oz launched his campaign in November 2021, he had lived in New Jersey as recently as 2020 and, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, registered to vote in Pennsylvania that year at the home of his in-laws.
Pennsylvania “became home a year ago,” Oz said in an interview on Fox News at the time, noting that he “grew up just across the border, south of Philadelphia."