What do Snooki, Steven Van Zandt and a banner attached to a plane flying over the Boardwalk in Atlantic City and other Jersey Shore communities have in common?

They have become props for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee John Fetterman’s social media campaign to troll his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Nicky “Snooki” Polizzi is one of the stars of the controversial “Jersey Shore” reality TV show filmed for the most part at Seaside Heights, New Jersey, while Van Zandt is a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street band based in New Jersey, and played Silvio Dante, a member of the supporting cast of HBO’s big hit series “The Sopranos,” also filmed in the Garden State.

So what do these New Jersey connections have to do with a U.S. Senate race involving candidates running in Pennsylvania?

Fetterman wants prospective voters to know that Oz is a “carpetbagger” who lived for three decades in New Jersey but then moved to his in-laws’ home in Montgomery County in late 2020 to run for the seat held by Republican Pat Toomey of Zionsville, Lehigh County. Toomey announced in 2020 that he would not seek a third six-year term. GOP heavy hitters, including former President Donald Trump, encouraged Oz with his significant name recognition because of the “Dr. Oz” TV show to declare his candidacy.

The term “carpetbagger” became popular after the Civil War when northerners went South to profit during the Reconstruction period. Today, a “carpetbagger” is a political candidate who seeks election in an area where he or she has no local connections.

Fighting off the carpetbagger label in a hotly contested primary this past May Oz beat out David McCormick and five other GOP candidates.

Meanwhile, Fetterman, the sitting lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, easily defeated U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and two other contenders for the Democratic nomination. He was riding along watching the GOP candidates beat up each other while his campaign was amassing tons of money to ready him for the contest against the survivor.

But then the unthinkable happened: He suffered atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy - a stroke - on the eve of the May primaries, and he has been sidelined from the campaign trail ever since. Originally, his campaign announced that he would return sometime in July, but here it is August, and aside from some carefully scripted appearances before small audiences, Fetterman is doing most of his communicating with voters through social media and TV advertising. Last week, however, Fetterman’s campaign announced that he would hold his first rally on Friday since being hospitalized in Erie County

Republicans are accusing Fetterman of stunt campaigning by using video posts recorded by Snooki and Van Zandt to encourage Oz to “come home to New Jersey” and of paying $2,000 to have a plane carry a banner over the Jersey Shore that welcomed Oz home to New Jersey.

In her video, Snooki, who was paid $400 to do the spot, says, “I heard that you moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to look for a new job, and, personally, I don’t know why anyone would want to leave Jersey. I know you’re away from home, and you’re in a new place. Don’t worry because you will be back home in Jersey soon. This is only temporary.”

In his video, Van Zandt, who did the spot for free, said to Oz, “No one wants to see you embarrassed, so come on back to Jersey where you belong.”

The irony of all of this is that this race is expected to be one of the most expensive in the nation this fall, with the possibility that $100 million will be spent by the two candidates, so the fact that Fetterman was able to get such mileage out of inexpensive social media exposure is getting some high praise in marketing circles. The Snooki post, for example, has gotten more than 3.3 million views and counting.

Let’s get serious, though: What does any of this have to do with the very serious issues facing Pennsylvanian? It’s another classic example of how many voters don’t want to hear about the ins and outs of inflation, global warming, worldwide political issues such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, tension between the U.S. and China and other heavyweight issues; they are much more willing to be entertained by inconsequential stuff like this, even sharing it with family and friends.

Oz has been frustrated by his inability to shake the carpetbagger label. “People don’t really care where I’m from; they care what I stand for,” he said in a recent interview with a Philadelphia radio host.

Fetterman said one of his next moves will be to have a billboard on the Betsy Ross Bridge that connects Pennsylvania and New Jersey that will remind motorists that they are leaving New Jersey for Pennsylvania “just like Dr. Oz.”

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.