Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate in a crucial U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, has just passed Democrat John Fetterman, also the Pennsylvania Lt. Gov., in statewide support among likely voters for the first time, according to a new poll.
On Nov. 3, RealClearPolitics scored Oz’s support at 46.6%, while Fetterman’s post-debate support continues to fall, now to 46.3%; a difference well within the margin of error.
The lead is Oz’s first as he has trailed since the candidates won their respective primary elections in May 2022. Fetterman once held an 8.7-point lead over Oz in Aug., when Oz had just 39% support.
Mehmet Oz, celebrity physician and US Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, speaks during a town hall in Bell Blue, Pennsylvania, on Monday, May 16, 2022.
(Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
RealClearPolitics continues to rank the election a “Toss Up,” but projects Republicans keeping control of the seat currently held by Sen. Pat Toomey. The incumbent announced on October 5, 2020, that he would not be running for re-election to the Senate.
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Fetterman’s shrinking support can undoubtedly be tied to his debate performance on Oct. 25, when the two candidates squared off for their only debate.
Many people on social media and in polls saying Oz offered a clear message on how he would improve Pennsylvania.
Critics also suggested Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May, struggled to effectively answer questions on multiple occasions and seemed to struggle with auditory processing, which was impacted by the stroke. The debate host agreed to allow closed captioning to better assist him.
Of those who watched the debate, USA Today and Suffolk University found 62% said Oz was the winner. Seventeen percent of those surveyed said Fetterman was the winner.
FETTERMAN LOSES SUPPORT IN PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE AFTER DEBATE PERFORMANCE, POLL FINDS
USA Today conducted a poll in September, showing Fetterman’s lead at 46%-40%, but a poll conducted after the debate, on Oct. 27-30, showed Fetterman lead shrink to 47%-45%, within the poll’s margin of error of 4.4%.
The same September poll found Fetterman had a 43% to 29% lead with independent voters, but now Oz is leading 43%-32%.
A split image of Dr. Mehmet Oz, Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.
(Hannah Beier/Bloomberg | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Many other polls, including Fox News’s own polling, as well as USAToday, the New York Times/Siena, CBS News and Rassmussen have Fetterman in the lead.
While primary turnout is not an indicator of general election participation, more voters backed Republican candidates over their Democratic counterparts on May 17, 2022 — 1,346,091 votes to 1,284,908, respectively.
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The Pennsylvania Senate race is a major contest that could ultimately decide whether Democrats keep their majority in the chamber or if Republicans take leadership.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
