Fetterman, Oz Debate in Closely-Watched PA Senate Race
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz (R) debated Wednesday night in the closely-watched 2022 race for Pennsylvania's vacant Senate seat, and discussed oil, abortion, minimum wage, and more.
Key Quotes: Fetterman closed the debate by saying, "My campaign is all about fighting for anyone in Pennsylvania that ever got knocked down and had to get back up again." In his closing statement, Oz said, "Ask yourself this and others in your family, are you unhappy with where America’s headed? I am. If you are as well, then I’m the candidate for change." A spokesman for Fetterman's campaign praised his performance, "especially when you consider that he’s still recovering from a stroke and was working off of delayed captions filled with errors."
For Context: Fetterman suffered a stroke five months ago, and it left him with a lingering speech issue. Nexstar, which hosted the debate, said afterwards that the "closed captioning process functioned as expected" and that it regrets "that Mr. Fetterman and his campaign feel otherwise." Many political analysts expect the race to be crucial in deciding which party controls the Senate after Election Day.
How the Media Covered It: Sources across the political spectrum focused on Fetterman's performance in the context of his health concerns. Right-rated outlets tended to frame the speech issue as a sign that Fetterman is unfit for office. Some left-rated sources highlighted medical sources who say that Fetterman's speech issues are not indicative of cognitive problems.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
John Fetterman’s performance was center stage in lone Pa. Senate debate against Mehmet Oz
Democrat John Fetterman pledged to fight for working people but struggled at times to articulate his views during a high-stakes U.S. Senate debate Tuesday night, while Republican Mehmet Oz tried to claim the center lane politically but frequently dodged policy specifics.
Fetterman’s performance, answering live questions in 30- and 60-second responses on stage, though, is likely to be the most scrutinized part of a debate that has drawn national attention — both for the importance of the Pennsylvania campaign, and for the widespread focus on Fetterman’s recovery from a May...
From the Left
Key moments from the sole Pennsylvania U.S. Senate debate 
During their first and only televised debate, Pennsylvania's Senate candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz squared off Tuesday over key issues including abortion, minimum wage and crime just two weeks before the Nov. 8 election.
Why it matters: Pennsylvania is emerging as the bellwether state on the Senate map, with Oz, a Republican, and Fetterman, a Democrat, statistically tied in most of the latest polling. Republican and Democratic strategists believe the party that wins this race will hold the Senate majority next year.
Driving the news: Fetterman closed the one-hour debate invoking a similar message from how he...
From the Right
Nexstar refutes Fetterman campaign's claims that closed captioning was 'filled with errors'
Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman's campaign is alleging that the closed captioning system used to assist the Democrat in Tuesday's debate against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz was slow and full of errors, a claim the debate host refutes.
Fetterman is recovering from a stroke he suffered in May and has since struggled with auditory processing issues and speaking clearly ever since. The campaigns for Fetterman and Oz both agreed that the lieutenant governor could use closed captioning for the debate.
Following the debate hosted by Nexstar, Fetterman communications director Joe Calvello...
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