The Dave McCormick campaign for U.S. Senate released a video on Monday featuring the endorsement of Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott, who revealed his son died following a fentanyl overdose and condemned Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and other Democrats for their inaction at the southern border.
In the video, Ott gave details about the loss of his son, Josh, who he said died following a battle with addiction that culminated in a fatal fentanyl overdose.
“Josh was my buddy. He was that free-spirited kid, always laughing, always had a smile on his face,” said Ott (pictured above, left).
The sheriff added, “Whenever he got into becoming an addict, and his sickness took over, that was not Josh. That was not who we knew.”
Ott said his son “could never get the strength to get out from underneath the addiction” before lamenting, “We put a lot of trust in our leadership… We are under an epidemic and we have a border that is just flooded, almost wide open.”
We lost 4,000 Pennsylvanians to fentanyl last year, and we'll lose 4,000 or more again this year if something doesn't change.
My heart goes out to the Otts and every family impacted by this tragic epidemic.
As PA's next Senator, I'll start working to stop the scourge of… pic.twitter.com/2xbEdDma40
— Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) September 3, 2024
Before confirming his support for McCormick in the video, Ott challenged Casey to put himself in the sheriff’s shoes.
“If this happened in your family, wouldn’t you give as much as you could give, wouldn’t you provide whatever is needed, to make sure” drugs like fentanyl were stopped “from coming into your home?”
Struggling with his words, Ott added, “As a dad, it’s a household I’m protecting. I couldn’t him from it.”
Ott said Democrats like Casey have had ample opportunity to address the border and suggested that “strong leaders like Dave McCormick” will provide relief.
“If Bob Casey and some of our other leaders of this nation were going to do something, they would have done it by now,” said Ott. “We need strong leaders like Dave McCormick, who is going to come in and secure the borders, who is going to push to make sure the security of this nation is a priority.”
The father added, “If the border was secure, chances are my son would be alive today. We can’t bring back the people we’ve lost. But we can get rid of the weak politicians like Bob Casey who let it happen.”
McCormick pledged he would work to address the fentanyl crisis if elected in November.
“We lost 4,000 Pennsylvanians to fentanyl last year, and we’ll lose 4,000 or more again this year if something doesn’t change,” said McCormick. “My heart goes out to the Otts and every family impacted by this tragic epidemic. As Pennsylvania’s next Senator, I’ll start working to stop the scourge of fentanyl from crossing into our country on Day One.”
McCormick has received several law enforcement endorsements, including from the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police (PA FOP), which was previously a reliable backer of Casey in past elections.
In addition to Ott, the Republican has been endorsed by at least 46 others who protect the Keystone State.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “James Ott” by Re-Elect James Ott Blair County Sheriff. Photo “Dave McCormick” by Dave McCormick.
