Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is ramping up pressure on his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, to participate in debates as Oz looks to tighten the race ahead of the November midterm elections.
Oz’s criticisms of Fetterman come in the wake of the Democrat opting not to partake in a televised debate proposed for Sept. 6 as he continues to recover from a stroke. The television doctor-turned-Republican politician alleged that Fetterman needs to defend his positions publicly ahead of the November elections, having agreed to participate in five debates. Oz’s campaign has repeatedly accused Fetterman of “hiding” and attempted to draw into question whether he is healthy enough to serve in the Senate.
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“We heard John Fetterman won’t debate Oz in the ‘first week of September.’ OK, so when will he debate? He won’t ever say — not even in his latest whiny statement. John Fetterman’s campaign is insulting the intelligence of Pennsylvania voters,” Oz’s communications director, Brittany Yanick, said in a statement.
The Fetterman camp has stated that he is willing to debate Oz but will not adhere to his demands.
Fetterman has defended his approach to returning to the campaign trail, asserting that he has been engaged with voters while continuing to place an emphasis on his recovery.
“I’ve been traveling the commonwealth talking to voters about my vision and ideas for nearly a decade. I’m proud of my record as mayor and as Lieutenant Governor and I’m eager to put my record and my values up against Dr. Oz’s any day of the week,” he said in a statement.
“As I recover from this stroke and improve my auditory processing and speech, I look forward to continuing to meet with the people of Pennsylvania,” he continued. “They’ll always know where I stand.”
Fetterman took a swing at Oz’s team for taking aim at his health, accusing Oz of exploiting his stroke for political gain.
“Today’s statement from Dr. Oz’s team made it abundantly clear that they think it is funny to mock a stroke survivor. I chose not to participate in this farce. Any sense that these ‘challenges’ were done in good faith is damaged,” Fetterman continued.
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“My recovery may be a joke to Dr. Oz and his team, but it’s real for me. I will not be participating in a debate the first week of September, but look forward to having a productive discussion about how we can move forward and have a real conversation on this once Dr. Oz and his team are ready to take this seriously,” Fetterman said.
Oz came under fire after his senior communications adviser, Rachel Tripp, told Business Insider in a statement that “If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke and wouldn’t be in the position of having to lie about it constantly” following a dust-up between the two candidates. Fetterman had been trolling Oz over a campaign video in which the GOP Senate hopeful discussed how inflation was affecting the price of crudite.
A recent poll conducted by Franklin & Marshall College shows Fetterman with a 13-point lead over Oz.
