Dr. Mehmet Oz will be back on the air hosting his TV show much sooner than he'd like ... so says one of his opponents, who has some fighting words for the talk-show host turned politician.
Everett Stern -- CEO of a private intelligence agency, and one of at least 7 other Republican candidates vying for one of Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seats -- is confident he will wipe the floor with the good doc once they hit the campaign trail.
Talking trash like he was Jake Paul, Stern predicts Oz won't last 5 minutes on a debate stage before he's forced to wave the white flag. He says Oz won't be able to read off a teleprompter the way he has for years on TV, and simply isn't prepared to hash out political issues.
Stern does, however, acknowledge support from the Trump-wing of the Republican party is up for grabs ... and Dr. Oz might appeal to those voters.
It's worth noting Oz hosted the former president on his TV show back in 2016, and Oz was later named to a White House advisory council on sports and nutrition.
TMZ broke the story ... "The Dr. Oz Show" will soon be yanked off the air in all Pennsylvania markets and a few others -- including New York City -- in an attempt to ensure all the other candidates get equal air-time.
Stern's suggesting Oz will be out of politics and back to hosting TV long before the election next November.