Fetterman campaign says stroke recovery will determine any debates

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s Senate campaign says his stroke recovery will determine the conditions under which he would agree to any debates with Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz.

The Democrat suffered a stroke in May, which has significantly impeded his ability to campaign, only returning to the campaign trail on Aug. 12. He has so far not agreed to any of the five debates Oz has been pushing for, including two next week, according to the Washington Post. Fetterman’s campaign maintains that he is in good health and has no problems engaging in one-on-one conversations but that a “chaotic auditory environment” may pose a problem.

“We are working to figure out what a fair debate would look like with the lingering impacts of the auditory processing in mind,” Fetterman campaign strategist Rebecca Katz told the Washington Post. “To be absolutely clear, the occasional issues he is having with auditory processing have no bearing on his ability to do the job as senator. John is healthy and fully capable of showing up and doing the work.”

OZ RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON FETTERMAN TO PARTICIPATE IN DEBATES

Fetterman, alongside his wife, is set to join Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC for what has been billed as his first sit-down interview since his stroke on Wednesday night.

Several videos posted of Fetterman’s speeches at campaign events show him occasionally struggling to speak coherently.

Oz’s campaign has made it a key sticking point to go after Fetterman’s health, which they say would significantly impair his ability to conduct his duties as senator.

“John Fetterman needs to stop lying and come clean to Pennsylvanians about his ability to serve in the Senate. If you’re too unhealthy to debate, you are too unhealthy to serve in the U.S. Senate where it can be 10X more intense,” a statement from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backs Oz, said in a statement titled “Coward John Fetterman Still Hiding from Questions.”

On Tuesday, the Oz campaign released a list of mocking “concessions” they would grant to Fetterman in order to debate, including, “Doctor Oz promises not to intentionally hurt John’s feelings at any point,” “We will allow John to have all his notes in front of him along with an earpiece so he can have the answers given to him by his staff, in real time,” and, “We will pay for any additional medical personnel he might need to have on standby.”

Following criticism of going after Fetterman’s health, Oz responded by distancing himself from his own campaign. “The campaign’s been saying lots of things. My position is — I can only speak to what I’m saying,” he said in a radio interview with KDKA when asked if it was appropriate to go after his opponent’s health.

Fetterman has reacted strongly to the Oz campaign’s attacks on his health, using it as an excuse to refuse to agree to a Sept. 6 debate, according to the Washington Post.

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“I survived a stroke. Plenty of others have dealt with health challenges too. Can you imagine if you had a doctor who mocked you for it?” Fetterman said in a tweet.

They are poised to go head to head in early November, which is fast approaching.

A RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Fetterman with a 7.4-percentage-point advantage.