Just five months after experiencing a near-fatal stroke, Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman struggled to explain his positions, jumbled words, failed to answer questions, and often spoke haltingly throughout a highly anticipated debate Tuesday against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz as they vie for a critical Senate seat.
It was a disaster for Fetterman and a huge win for Oz in a tight race, polls show.
The worst moment came when Fetterman was asked about fracking. When pressed to explain his shifting position on the critical issue in a state where thousands of jobs are tied to natural gas production, his answer was incredibly awkward.
“I do support fracking. And I don’t, I don’t. I support fracking, and I stand and I do support fracking,” Fetterman said.
John Fetterman sets the record straight once and for all where he stands on Fracking:
"Uh uh I I I do support fracking and I I don't I don't I support fracking and I stand and I do support fracking."
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 26, 2022
Oz ignored his opponent’s health challenges throughout the debate, instead focusing on Fetterman’s policies on immigration, crime, and his support for President Joe Biden.
The forum had many of the trappings of a traditional debate, complete with heated exchanges and interruptions. But the impact of the stroke was apparent as Fetterman used closed-captioning posted above the moderator to help him process the words he heard, leading to occasional awkward pauses.
According to both Republicans and Democrats, Fetterman’s performance was “sad” and hurt his chances to win the critical election.
“Why the hell did Fetterman agree to this?” one Democratic insider reportedly told Axios. “This will obviously raise more questions than answers about John’s health.”
“The biggest issue was John Fetterman’s health and his ability to comprehend speech, and to then speak coherently on the issues of the day,” NewsNation’s Leland Vittert said in the post-debate commentary.
“It’s sad to see John Fetterman struggling so much,” Sen. Pat Toomey, R-P.A., told CNN. “He should take more time to allow himself to fully recover. ”
Voters agreed —
NEW: WPXI Online Poll
Who won the PA Senate Debate?
(R) Mehmet Oz — 82%
(D) John Fetterman — 18%https://t.co/IBfFJGetal pic.twitter.com/qsp265y8EJ— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) October 26, 2022
The stakes of the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey are huge: It represents Democrats’ best chance to flip a Senate seat this year — and could determine party control of the chamber and the future of Biden’s agenda.
Oz, a longtime television personality, cast himself as a moderate Republican looking to unite a divided state, even as he committed to supporting former President Donald Trump should he run for president again in 2024.
“I’m a surgeon, I’m not a politician,” Oz said. “We take big problems, we focus on them, and we fix them. We do it by uniting, by coming together, not dividing.”
Fetterman similarly committed to supporting Biden should he run again in 2024.
The Democratic president campaigned with Fetterman in Pittsburgh during the Labor Day parade and just last week headlined a fundraiser for Fetterman in Philadelphia. There, Biden said the “rest of the world is looking” and suggested a Fetterman loss would imperil his agenda.
While backing Biden, Fetterman also said, “he needs to do more about supporting and fighting about inflation.”
Before the debate, Fetterman was a rising star in progressive politics nationwide, having developed a loyal following thanks in part to his social media presence and unapologetic far-left policies. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-9-inch Democrat swapped his trademark hoodie and shorts for a dark suit and tie.
But even before the debate, Democrats in Washington were concerned about Fetterman’s campaign given the stakes.
For much of the year, it looked as if Fetterman was the clear favorite, especially as Republicans waged a nasty nomination battle that left the GOP divided and bitter. But as Election Day nears, the race has tightened. And now, just two weeks before the final votes are cast, even the White House is privately concerned that Fetterman’s candidacy is at risk.
Fetterman’s speech challenges were apparent throughout the night. He often struggled to complete sentences.
At one point, the moderator seemed to jump in for Fetterman as he struggled to finish an answer defending Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness program. He also stumbled before finishing a key attack line: “We need to make sure that Dr. Oz and Republicans believe in cutting Medicare and Social Security …”
The Pennsylvania Senate hopefuls faced each other inside a Harrisburg television studio. No audience was allowed.
Oz had pushed for more than a half-dozen debates, suggesting Fetterman’s unwillingness to agree to more than one was because the stroke had debilitated him. Fetterman insisted that one debate is typical — although two is more customary — and that Oz’s focus on debates was a cynical ploy to lie about his health.
Fetterman refused to commit to releasing his full health records when asked repeatedly Tuesday by the moderator.
“My doctor believes that I’m fit to be serving. And that’s what I believe is where I’m standing,” Fetterman said.
Democrats noted that the televised debate setting likely would have favored Oz even without questions about the stroke. Oz hosted “The Dr. Oz Show” weekdays for 13 seasons after getting his start as a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show in 2004. Fetterman, by contrast, is a less practiced public speaker who is introverted by nature.
Many Republicans were thrilled by the debate’s outcome, although most — including Oz — tried to avoid piling on to concerns about Fetterman’s health.
Donald Trump Jr. was less cautious.
“If Fetterman is some sort of leftist decoy to make Biden actually sound somewhat intelligent and articulate he’s doing a great job,” the former president’s son tweeted.
The Horn News editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article