“Hedge fund executive David McCormick (R) is expected to launch his Pennsylvania Senate candidacy with the help of former top advisers to former President Donald Trump,” Politico reports.

“The list includes Trump White House veteran Hope Hicks. Hicks, who has been helping McCormick arrange meetings and reach out to people ahead of his anticipated early 2022 announcement, is working on her first campaign since being a top staffer on Trump’s 2016 effort.”

“The Dr. Oz Show” — currently in its 13th season — will come to an end in January as the daytime host runs for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Variety reports.

“I want to congratulate my North Jersey constituent Dr. Oz on his run for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. I’m sure this fully genuine candidacy will capture the hearts of Pennsylvanians.”

— Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), on Twitter.

Philadelphia Inquirer: “Amid weeks of speculation over his interest in the race, Connecticut hedge fund manager David McCormick is expected to begin visiting with some top GOP insiders next week.”

“McCormick’s final plans remain unclear, but Mehmet Oz, the celebrity doctor who made his name as an Oprah guest, is said to be close to entering the contest and has been hiring high-level staff… Last December, he registered to vote in Pennsylvania, at his in-laws’ home in Montgomery County, despite long living in New Jersey.”

“Also exploring a bid is former U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, a Western Pennsylvania Republican who had supported Parnell… With Parnell out, Rothfus could attract GOP support in the Pittsburgh area.”

Sean Parnell (R) is suspending his Senate campaign in Pennsylvania, “hours after a judge ruled against him in a custody battle that included allegations he had physically and verbally abused his wife and children,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Said Parnell: “There is nothing more important to me than my children, and while I plan to ask the court to reconsider, I can’t continue with a Senate campaign.”

“His decision capped a rapid collapse for a candidate who, after being endorsed this summer by former President Donald Trump, was once viewed as the GOP front-runner in the nationally watched race to replace Pat Toomey.”

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sean Parnell (R) “has lost his battle for custody of his three children after his estranged wife accused him of physical and verbal abuse, a ruling likely to deal a devastating setback to his campaign,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Parnell had been a leading GOP contender, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, in the race to succeed Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. His allies had hoped a favorable ruling in the custody case would help discredit the abuse accusations that he had denied under oath.”

“Senate candidate Sean Parnell’s contentious custody case ended Tuesday after three days of grueling testimony and sharp questions that seem certain to follow one of Pennsylvania’s top Republican contenders for the rest of his campaign,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“The trial ended without an immediate ruling and with two conflicting narratives about alleged abuse — both delivered under oath.”

“It’s now up to Senior Judge James Arner to evaluate the competing claims and decide on custody of Parnell’s three children, aged 8 to 12, in a decision that might, in part, be viewed as a signal of how he views the accusations of violence and abuse leveled against Parnell by his estranged wife, Laurie Snell.”

“It used to be, you know, women were attracted to your strength because you could defend them from dinosaurs.”

— Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell (R), quoted by the Republican Accountability Project.

“The celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz is preparing to jump into the Pennsylvania Senate race on the Republican side, a move that would shake up contested primary and general election contests,” the Free Beacon reports.

“The 61-year-old Oz has begun hiring a staff and reaching out to potential allies.”

“All eyes are on Sean Parnell when he testifies today for the second and final time in an ugly child custody battle with his estranged wife, Laurie Snell. Though Parnell unequivocally denied abusing his wife and children on the stand Monday, the Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania is starting to bleed high-level support,” Playbook reports.

“The swirl surrounding Parnell has been intense: On Friday, Parnell was slated to hold a call with donors to answer questions about the status of his campaign but canceled at the last minute.”

“One adviser to the campaign said they believe Parnell can remain a viable candidate as long as he keeps custody of his children, which the judge in the case will decide in a matter of weeks. A loss in the custody battle would be difficult to withstand politically, the adviser added. The person said Parnell will likely remain in the race until a ruling, even if his campaign is in limbo, and expects to see a bounce for Parnell if it appears that he is vindicated.”

“Lawyers for Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Sean Parnell sought Monday to raise doubts about the accusations against him leveled by his estranged wife, focusing during their cross-examination of her on more positive moments between the couple,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Sen. Rick Scott, who heads the group that works to elect Senate Republicans, declined Monday to say whether Sean Parnell, a GOP hopeful in Pennsylvania who has been accused of strangling his wife and abusing his children, is the right candidate for the job,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Scott: “We’ll see who comes out of the primary. Facts will come out. We’ll find out exactly what people think. I think what ultimately happens is people are going to look at somebody’s background and say is that the type of person they want and also are they talking about the issues I care about.”

“Sean Parnell’s military thriller Man of War contains graphic scenes of violence against female characters, raising additional questions about his attitude toward women in the wake of court testimony that he physically and verbally abused his estranged wife,” Politico reports.

“Parnell, who has emerged as the frontrunner in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary, portrays multiple scenes of men assaulting women in the 2018 novel, the first of four in a fiction series written by the Army combat veteran.”

“The estranged wife of Sean Parnell (R) — the candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania — testified under oath Monday that he tried to choke her until she bit him to escape, that he hit their children and verbally lashed out at her with obscenities,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“In tears, Laurie Parnell said that her husband would call her a ‘whore’ and a ‘piece of shit.’ She also testified that he once put her out of the car and left her by the road after they argued when he told her she had to get an abortion.”

Said Mrs. Parnell: “He was strangling me.”

“A judge has denied Sean Parnell’s (R) request for an expansive gag order against his estranged wife and her attorney, though the judge did seal some parts of the ongoing custody fight that has roiled Parnell’s campaign for U.S. Senate,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sean Parnell (R) “has asked a judge to seal records in his ongoing custody case and to ban his wife and her attorney from talking publicly about past protection-from-abuse orders against him — matters that have stirred political attacks and media scrutiny,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell’s (R) wife sought protective orders against him in 2017 and 2018, which primary rival Jeff Bartos (R) says make him “unelectable,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Word of the protective orders has been quietly simmering in political and media circles for months, but Bartos made them public for the first time in an interview Tuesday. He planned to release a memo Wednesday on the matter and why it should steer Republicans away from Parnell.”

“The highly personal line of attack from Bartos came days after Parnell secured a coveted endorsement from former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary.”

Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) is expected to launch a campaign for U.S. Senate campaign next month, Roll Call reports.