In Final Days of Pennsylvania Race, a Celebrity Tries to Connect

“I look at people, former celebrities, that have excelled in their political careers, like Ronald Reagan,” he said.

When Dr. Oz does do events that are open to the news media, they are often carefully stage-managed, made-for-camera moments. Earlier Wednesday, he held a sparsely attended event in Allentown with Senator Patrick J. Toomey, the retiring Pennsylvania Republican whose seat Dr. Oz wants, about public safety. But even though the event was aimed at the press — there was no apparent seating for voters — Dr. Oz, who has hammered Mr. Fetterman over transparency questions, did not stick around for questions.

And sometimes the details of his settings can pose political problems. The Wednesday rally was at a venue that indicates on its website that it does not host same-sex weddings, The Washington Post first reported. At another event, Dr. Oz had an emotional, attention-grabbing exchange with a woman who turned out to be a paid staff member.

Some Republicans simply want to see more of Dr. Oz in retail politicking mode.

“I had a thousand people in my own county, said they wanted to see him personally and they didn’t get to,” said C. Arnold McClure, the chairman of the Huntingdon County Republican Committee. “We’re real disappointed that there weren’t opportunities for all of our voters to hear him and see him.”

Brittany Yanick, an Oz spokeswoman, said that “since Labor Day, we’ve had over 40 events,” and that “we’d love to have more debates to share our points of view on the issues.” Mr. Fetterman and Dr. Oz debated just once, last week.

“This past week, he went to a high school football game in Bucks County, met with voters in Lower Moreland and attended the Eagles-Steelers game,” Ms. Yanick said on Monday when asked about his weekend activities. “The weekend before, he went to a women’s event in Gladwyne, dropped by a Korean church and attended a Diwali celebration.”

She did not answer follow-up questions about Wednesday’s event venue. Dr. Oz has said he supports same-sex marriage.