We talked to the daytime TV legend -- who's now running for an open U.S. Senate seat out of Pennsylvania -- amid his WOF ceremony Friday, and talked shop about his race ... and the implications it carries for how his star might be dealt with publicly.

Check it out ... Oz addresses the obvious comparison many will draw between Donald Trump and himself -- namely, being a celeb-turned-GOP politician.

Because of this ... he says flat-out, his star may get defaced between now and the finish line -- but he suggests if that does happen, it'll be done without merit -- 'cause he's his own man with his own views ... and the only thing he shares with Trump at this point is a party.

We asked what he'd have to say to would-be voters wary of electing another celeb in the wake of what many consider a not-so-great run with DT at the helm ... and Oz tells us his record, as a doctor and then as a media personality, speaks for itself -- especially on facts.

As you may have heard ... Oz's campaign is kinda controversial, and he hasn't been embraced by nearly as many celebs as one might've thought would come out in his corner. That's okay though, so says Mehmet ... because he says the issues/his solutions are what will convince the people of Pennsylvania to get behind him come November.