HARRISBURG, Penn., Oct 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate candidates Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz traded attacks on issues from crime to inflation in the lone debate of a Pennsylvania race that will help decide whether Democrats retain control of the Senate.
Fetterman, the state's 53-year-old lieutenant governor, has since summer lost his lead in polls to Oz, a 62-year-old celebrity doctor backed by Donald Trump, as concerns about rising inflation have helped sour voters on President Joe Biden's Democrats ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
The debate represents a major political test for Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May that left lingering problems with his speech and hearing that sometimes cause verbal miscues. The debate hall included two closed-caption monitors posted above the moderators that relayed dialogue to Fetterman.
Fetterman, who spoke haltingly and repeated phrases at times, addressed his health issues in his opening statement, calling it the elephant in the room.
"I had a stroke. [Oz] never let me forget that. And I might miss some words during this debate, mush two words together, but it knocked me down but I'm going to keep coming back up," Fetterman said.
He later refused to commit to releasing his private medical records. "Transparency is about showing up. I am here for the debate," he said.
U.S. inflation has hit 40-year highs, inflicting pain on consumers and forcing Democrats such as Fetterman to play defense on an issue that polling shows is voters' top concern. Oz and Republicans have sought to tie Democrats' big-spending bills combating issues including COVID-19 and climate change to rising consumer prices.
Oz said his experience as a heart surgeon taught him how to make difficult decisions.
"I'll make them cutting our budget as well to make sure we don't have to raise taxes on a population already desperately in pain from the high inflation rate," Oz said.
Fetterman questioned whether Oz can really empathize with American families.
He called inflation a tax on working families, saying, "Dr. Oz can't possibly understand what that is like."
Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman stands as U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at the Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Fetterman said the rising costs only bolster his support for a federal $15 minimum wage, something Oz opposes putting into law.
The two squared off on the issue of abortion.
Oz, who opposes abortion but supports exceptions for rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is at risk, was pressed if he would support a measure pushed by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham that would ban all abortions after 15 weeks.
"Any bill that violates what I said, which is the federal government interfering with the state rule on abortion, I would vote against," Oz said.
Fetterman has said he would support codifying the Roe v. Wade decision overturned by the Supreme Court this year if elected and would do away with the legislative procedure known as the filibuster that requires 60 of the 100 senators to agree on most legislation.
"If you believe that the choice for abortion belongs to you and your doctor, that's what I fight for,” Fetterman said.
A CBS News Battleground Tracker poll released Tuesday ahead of the debate found Fetterman leads by just 2 points over Oz, 51% to 49%, down from his 5-point lead in mid-September. The race has been among the most expensive in the country, with Fetterman raising $48 million through September and Oz raising $35 million, including millions of his money.
The race to succeed retiring Republican Pat Toomey is Democrats' best hope at gaining ground in the 50-50 Senate, which they control by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote.
A win in Pennsylvania could offset losses elsewhere, as Democrats are defending embattled incumbents in states including Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. Republican control of either the House or Senate would be enough to stop Biden's legislative agenda.
Oz sought to pin down Fetterman on his position on fracking natural gas, a major industry in Pennsylvania that is often opposed by liberals and environmentalists. Fetterman once supported a ban on fracking.
Pressed by the moderators about why he changed his fracking views, Fetterman was briefly at a loss for words, then repeated the phrase, “I do support fracking.”
Democrats had bet that reproductive rights would be an animating issue in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, but the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey data shows that inflation and the economy are far and away the most pressing issues among those who say they are likely to vote.
Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, Lincoln Feast & Shri Navaratnam
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
10002Hours on October 26th, 2022 at 03:52 UTC »
I come from a medical background and have seen many stroke survivors with aphasia. Fetterman's symptoms are on the mild side. If we are looking at the context of debating for a US Senate seat - he did well.
Interestingly, I can't recall someone with aphasia symptoms so openly revealing themselves on a public stage like this. It certainly is making a lot of people uncomfortable, and you can see in the social media reactions on all sides. A lot of stroke patients and their families display signs of shame about their loss of communication abilities. Pre-stroke they were great conversationalist, funny joke tellers, could command a board room. Now in some cases they can't speak at all. And are fully aware of it. They lost something central to their personality. Who they are. Their voice.
I can surmise the political wisdom of bearing his communication struggles to the world - in our ablest society, it's probably a negative. But one things for damn sure: Fetterman is a FUCKING HERO. To stand up on that stage, knowing where he was in his recovery and what it meant - he showed an abiding strength that is beyond words.
If you watched and felt uncomfortable, stay with it. Stay with the discomfort. There are people like Fetterman all around you. They are afraid to speak up. They are afraid of what you will think. Give them the space to speak. To misspeak. To stutter. To fail. Give them the space to be who they are and love them for it.
Everyone will be disabled at one point in their life, including you. Let's make a world that won't cast you aside when it happens. I don't care if my Senator has trouble speaking. I care if my Senator has a heart of gold. Fetterman has a heart of gold, and he showed it tonight.
kapalkonetic on October 26th, 2022 at 01:53 UTC »
Putting politics aside, I felt so bad for Fetterman. Going through a stroke while being a public figure, running for office no less, looks extremely difficult and I hope for nothing but the best in his recovery.
dokikod on October 26th, 2022 at 01:31 UTC »
I voted for Fetterman. He isn't a fraud from New Jersey. He isn't a creep who took advantage of people by telling them they could lose weight without diet and exercise so he could make millions.