Springfield Township’s Dr. Val Arkoosh, the lone female on the slate of Pa. Senate hopefuls, is stepping aside. Julia Terruso covered her exit from the race for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dr. Arkoosh, who ran as the “anti-Dr. Oz,” threw her stethoscope into the ring in May 2022.
Her résumé made her an early standout: A medical doctor with a degree in economics and a master’s in public health, Dr. Arkoosh had deep community experience gained as chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.
But despite her bona fides, the candidate had trouble connecting with voters outside the state’s third-largest county.
In primary polling, she often found herself at the bottom of vote tallies.
Setting her eyes on a larger prize — using Republican Sen. Pat Toomey’s upcoming vacancy for a red-to-blue senate gain — she has ended her run.
“In my book there’s just nothing more important than flipping this seat, and I think the thing I can do to best ensure that is to suspend my campaign,” she said.
She is planning no primary endorsements but has committed to supporting the Democratic nominee in the general election. “Every Republican in this race is deeply concerning,” she said. “They are all willing to continue to divide this country to score cheap political points.”
More on Dr. Val Arkoosh and her latest career decision is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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CBS3 Philly had additional information.
