Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate candidates faced off Tuesday in a live televised debate for the first, and possibly only, time, in a closely-watched race that Democrats hope to flip as they look to keep control of the Senate.
Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in September finally agreed to a single debate after months of back and forth on rules and regulations. Oz, a celebrity surgeon-turned-politician, claimed Fetterman was ducking debates in part because he remained ill from a stroke he suffered in May.
In lieu of a traditional debate, Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate candidates have so far duked it out on social media, trolling each other with viral memes attacking each others’ policies, health and commitment to the state.
After Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., announced his retirement, Democrats saw a chance to flip the swing state’s Senate seat blue, making the race between Fetterman and Oz one of the most competitive and consequential races in the country. With a 50-50 Senate split, control of the chamber could hinge on a single race.
Fetterman leads Oz by about 4 percentage points, an average of recent polls by analysis site FiveThirtyEight shows.
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Fetterman: Oz is lying about my taxes
Fetterman said Oz lied when he said he had not paid taxes; he said there was once a dispute over a non-profit company.
– David Jackson
Oz leads on crime
Oz started the debate by saying he will bring civility back to D.C., adding that Republicans and Democrats can work together.
The Republican nominee also said Fetterman “has been trying to get as many murderers convicted and sentenced to life in prison out of jail as possible.”
— Phillip M. Bailey
First question kicks off Oz-Fetterman debate
The first question in one of the most anticipated U.S. Senate debates in the 2022 midterms went to John Fetterman, who had to answer what qualifies him to be a U.S. senator.
He chose to use it as a moment to go on offense against his opponent and also address “the elephant in the room.”
“I had a stroke. He’s never let me forget that,” Fetterman said, warning the audience he may mess up some words.
Fetterman, the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor and Democratic nominee running to flip the seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, said he might get knocked down because of his lingering speech issues from his May stroke but he’ll keep getting back up.
— Candy Woodall
Fetterman team says Oz campaign rejects media access to see closed captioning
The Fetterman campaign team requested media access on site at the debate for pool reporters to see closed captioning in real time that will be used by John Fetterman, who uses the tool while recovering from stroke-related audio processing issues, the Democrat’s campaign said Tuesday.
Oz denied the request, according to Fetterman campaign spokesman Joe Cavello.
An Oz campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions seeking comment.
Cavello said the Fetterman team wanted reporters to see the same captions Oz and Fetterman would see.
— Candy Woodall
Fetterman to get a boost from Biden, Harris and Obama
Democrat John Fetterman will get a boost from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the days after his first, and likely only, Senate debate.
Biden and Harris will fundraise with Fetterman Friday during a Democratic Party dinner in Pennsylvania.
Former President Barack Obama and Biden will return a week later to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to campaign for Fetterman and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro on Saturday, Nov. 5.
— Candy Woodall
Does Oz’s TV experience give him an edge?
For almost 13 years, Oz has been a popular television doctor and host, known for his empathetic style.
That could serve him well Tuesday as he looks to fight off Democratic attacks that his wealth puts him out of touch with average voters.
Democrats and their allies have simultaneously cast Fetterman, the former mayor of Braddock, as an “everyman” who speaks like regular people, setting up a major contrast during the debate.
– Phillip M. Bailey
Key Senate races:Midterm election races will determine who controls the Senate: Here are 8 to watch
Debate strategy: Fetterman to stress ‘working people’; Oz to emphasize crime
Like previous debaters in other states, Fetterman and Oz are signaling their strategies via social media.
Fetterman indicated he will argue that his economic policies are designed to benefit working people, while Oz favors only the wealthy.
“My plan would cut taxes for working people while making the rich finally pay their fair share like the rest of us,” Fetterman said in a tweet. “Oz’s plan would cut taxes for mega-millionaire$ like himself while raising tax rates on working families.”
Fetterman also figures to address his health situation after a stroke earlier this year. “If you’ve ever overcome a major health challenge (or are dealing with one right now), know that you are not alone,” the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor said in another tweet.
Oz did not address Fetterman’s health in his pre-debate tweets. Instead, he indicated he would continue attacking Fetterman over prison reform and crime, including his law enforcement record while mayor of Braddock.
“Unlike John Fetterman, I will always put Pennsylvanians over criminals,” Oz said in a tweet.
– David Jackson
Troll campaign:John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz exchange viral memes over traditional debate
Fetterman’s health could help or hurt
Fetterman suffered a stroke two days before the May primary, and it’s been a source of controversy ever since.
The Oz campaign pounced on the Democrat’s health in August when a spokesperson said if Fetterman had “eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke.”
This month, in a statement to USA TODAY, the Oz campaign called out how Fetterman still hasn’t released his full medical records.
If Fetterman, who still struggles with processing words, falters, it could be something the GOP or conservative activists seize upon and create a viral moment.
But Fetterman’s performance Tuesday also could be a rallying point among voters as a sign of perseverance, especially for stroke survivors and their families, who’ve defended his use of closed caption in interviews.
– Phillip M. Bailey
Oz, Fetterman in dead heat ahead of first debate
Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz are squaring off in their first and only debate Tuesday as the Pennsylvania Senate race is beginning to tighten.
A new CBS News/YouGov poll, released Tuesday, shows Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor, with a 2-point lead over Oz, a celebrity doctor, among likely voters.
The survey shows Fetterman carrying 51% versus Oz holding 49% with a 4.4% margin of error.
Fetterman had been up by as much as 11% in a previous survey.
– Phillip M. Bailey
Someone to identify with:As Fetterman prepares to debate Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania Senate race, stroke survivors see themselves in him
How Oz tightened Pennsylvania Senate race with Fetterman
The race for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat this year was once considered Fetterman’s to lose, as Oz found himself on the ropes. Now Oz appears to have launched a comeback, narrowing the poll gap.
From being trolled by Fetterman on social media over referring to a supermarket veggie tray as “crudités,” Oz has now attracted millions of dollars from national political action committees. He has a barrage of ads running against his opponent, has the media joining him in asking for the Democrat’s health records and has effectively cut Fetterman’s lead to a few points – within the margin of error.
Is the momentum really shifting in Oz’s favor or is the race-tightening just typical midterm politics in a battleground state after Labor Day?
“That’s the million-dollar question,” said Jessica Taylor, Cook Political Report Senate editor.
– Candy Woodall
Who is Mehmet Oz?
Celebrity surgeon and TV host Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, won Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate nomination in June.
Though Oz, 62, is best known for his television program “The Dr. Oz Show,” which ended when his Senate bid began, his campaign gained attention with the April endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
The son of immigrants from Turkey to the U.S., Oz was born in Ohio, raised in Delaware and has called New Jersey his home for decades – a point his opponent’s campaign has belabored in its effort to paint the Republican Senate nominee as a fake Pennsylvanian.
He has an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and an M.B.A. from the Wharton Business School, his biography states.
– Ella Lee, Orlando Mayorquin
Who is Dr. Mehmet Oz?:What to know about ex-TV show host running for Pennsylvania Senate
Who is John Fetterman?
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s political rise began in Braddock, Pennsylvania, where as mayor he was credited with breathing life back into the hollowed-out steel town.
He ran for Senate the first time in 2016 but failed to get past the Democratic primary. He remained mayor until he became lieutenant governor in 2019. In state office, Fetterman has championed legalizing recreational marijuana and served as the chair of the state’s pardon board.
Throughout his 2022 Senate campaign, the 6-foot-8, tattooed and suit-averse candidate has advocated for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 or higher, transitioning to renewable energy “as quickly as possible” to combat climate change and legalizing marijuana nationally.
Fetterman suffered a stroke in May that left him hospitalized on primary election night and off the campaign trail for months, which his opponent’s campaign has painted as a weakness.
– Ella Lee, Orlando Mayorquin
Who is John Fetterman?:What to know about the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania Senate
What do the polls show?
Fetterman’s once large lead over Oz has steadily shrunk since September, an average of recent polls by analysis site FiveThirtyEight shows.
Though the Pennsylvania Democrat once had more than 10 percentage points on his Republican opponent, Fetterman now polls less than 4 points ahead of Oz.
– Ella Lee
USA TODAY exclusive:Democrat Fetterman hangs onto 6-point lead over GOP’s Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania Senate race
Of veggie trays and votes
The Tuesday debate is giving Democrat John Fetterman an opportunity to replay one of his campaign’s greatest hits – capitalizing on his Republican opponent’s produce gaffe.
Oz went viral for the wrong reasons, by political standards, in the summer when a video showed him in a grocery store (whose name he mispronounced) and buying crudites, the fancy French description of a veggie tray.
“He is not a person who understands inflation,” Fetterman said in an interview with USA TODAY. “This is a guy that has demonstrated that he doesn’t even know how to shop for groceries.”
— Candy Woodall
Wegners?: Oz confuses Wegmans, Redner’s in odd video on shopping for crudités
Oz launches crime agenda before debate
Oz launched a 22-point plan to fight crime a day before his first and only debate with Democrat Fetterman.
His plan focuses on reducing drug crimes, increasing federal resources for safer streets, sentencing reform and more, and it fits into a national strategy among Republicans who are making crime a central issue.
An influx of cash from national Republicans and millions of dollars spent on TV ads that were designed to make Fetterman appear soft on crime helped Oz move the political needle in his favor, tightening polls from about double digits to within margins of error.
“Dr. Oz has put forth a plan to fight crime through policies that increase resources for local law enforcement, improve crime prevention programs, and support relief for drug users. These are real solutions to address mounting issues of crime from the smallest retail theft to devastating homicide,” Oz spokesperson Brittany Yanick said in a statement.
— Candy Woodall
When is the debate?
The debate between Fetterman and Oz is slated to begin at 8 p.m. ET and last an hour.
It will be hosted by Nexstar Media at a Harrisburg, Pennsylviana, affiliate news studio.
– Ella Lee
Pennsylvania Senate race:How Dr. Oz tightened Pa. Senate race with Fetterman. Is it a warning sign for Democrats?
