Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas): “I think the most important thing is: Can the nominee get elected in November? And I think either Dr. Oz or David McCormick probably fit that category. I would be doubtful that Kathy Barnette could, so I was happy to see that it looks like we’ll have a serious contender in November.”

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of GOP leadership: “I thought the two best candidates in that primary wound up almost in a tie.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who endorsed Dr. Oz: “In a 50-50 Senate with the map working against us in a year that should be advantageous given the other issues, we want to put our best foot forward in every single race. For a lot of us, she would not have been putting our best foot forward.”

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio): “I think that’s a better result for us, because that’s going to be a tough seat in the fall. Either of the two — Oz or McCormick — would be a strong candidate in the general election.”