TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A new poll finds that U.S. celebrity surgeon Mehmet Cengiz Oz, aka “Dr. Oz," is neck-and-neck with his Democratic opponent in the race to be the next U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.

Oz is arguably the most prominent tele-physician in America today and is running as a moderate Republican in a state that U.S. President Joe Biden won in the 2020 presidential election by less than 2%. Oz has made COVID-19 pandemic policy a key part of his platform.

"America should have been the world leader on how to beat the pandemic," Oz wrote in announcing his campaign on the site Washington Examiner. "Although we had some moments of brilliance, such as the gift to the World of mRNA vaccines made possible by President Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed, many great ideas were squashed. That's not the America my parents came to. That's not the one I grew up in. That's not the one I want to leave behind."

Last year Oz praised Taiwan's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In Taiwan, the immediate use of border controls, quarantine, school closures and passenger screenings quickly inhibited the spread of COVID-19,” a video posted on Facebook by Dr. Oz said.

Oz was included on the list of the World's 500 Most Influential Muslims, an annual report from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, a Jordanian think tank.