Democrat John Fetterman Tops Republican Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania Senate Race
Fetterman #Fetterman
U.S. News & World Report 6 hrs ago Susan Milligan
John Fetterman won the open seat for the Senate in Pennsylvania, defeating TV personality Mehmet “Dr.” Oz and flipping a seat to the Democratic side in a dramatic victory that is key to Democrats’ hopes of clinging to power in the Senate.
With 90% of results in, Fetterman, the sitting lieutenant governor, had 48.1% of the vote, compared to 49.4% for Oz. But the outstanding votes were mail-in ballots heavily dominated by Democrats, leading the Associated Press to call the race for the Democrat early Wednesday.
“We bet on the people of Pennsylvania, and you didn’t let us down!” Fetterman, in his trademark hoodie, told supporters at his election night party.
“This campaign has always been about fighting for everyone who got knocked down, who got back up,” Fetterman said. He pledged to fight for jobs, for making things in America, for abortion rights and for health care as a “human right.”
“It saved my life, and it should be there for all of you,” Fetterman said, referring to the illness that nearly derailed his campaign this summer.
President Joe Biden, celebrating an unexpectedly good night for his party in a midterm, sent Fetterman, a prolific social media participant, a congratulatory text.
The race was one of the most closely watched of the election season. Oz, who had wide name recognition from his appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s show, was backed by former President Donald Trump, who stumped for Oz and heralded him as one of his primary wins.
Fetterman, whose hoodies, tattoos and everyman demeanor endeared him to segments of Pennsylvania’s critical working class vote, appeared well-positioned to capture the seat for Democrats until May, when he suffered a stroke. The ailment kept Fetterman off the campaign trail for months.
When he appeared at an October debate with Oz, Fetterman stumbled over words, despite using a monitor to fully understand what was being said to him. The difficulty in speaking, Fetterman said, was not due to a cognitive problem but a difficulty in processing words – a symptom of the stroke that would not linger.
But Fetterman’s difficulty speaking did not seem to affect his support. In fact, the Democrat used the experience to cast himself as someone who was knocked down but got right back up – a message that resonated among the middle-class and working-class Pennsylvanians Fetterman wooed.
Oz barely disguised his efforts to use Fetterman’s illness as a reason to vote Republican. He had ads of himself jogging – a subtle reminder of his own robust health – and a senior campaign staffer said Fetterman might be healthier if he ate a more healthful diet.
But Oz, until recently a New Jersey resident, had trouble connecting with the state he wanted to represent in Washington. Fetterman relentlessly trolled Oz on Twitter, showing pictures of Oz kissing his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame or showing one of his many mansions.
But Oz made his own unforced errors. The last weekend of the campaign, Oz, at a rally with Trump, he urged attendees to call 10 friends after church or before the Steelers game to get them to the polls. In fact, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a bye week and were not playing.
Fetterman made a big issue of Oz’s stance on abortion, bringing the issue up repeatedly during the debate. Oz sought to deflect, refusing to say outright whether he would back proposed legislation banning abortion on a federal level.
Instead, Oz said the decision should be left to a woman, her doctor and “local elected officials.” It was Oz’s way of saying that the matter should be left to the states, but Fetterman used the quote against Oz immediately in an ad – an ad Fetterman paid for with the $2 million he raised in the hours after the candidates’ single debate.
Exit polls in Pennsylvania showed that abortion was the top single issue driving voters, with 36% saying it was the matter that most affected their votes. Second was inflation, with 28% naming it as the most important issue, and crime was far behind, with 11% of voters polled saying it was most important.
After a June Supreme Court decision reversing guaranteed abortion rights, Democrats were emboldened, arguing that voters would galvanize around the issue and elect more Democrats. But by early fall, the issue appeared to have retreated, with voters citing worries about crime and the economy as top concerns.
Fetterman’s win suggests that even if abortion was not in the forefront of the minds of voters, it was nonetheless a big motivator. The win Tuesday night by Democrat Josh Shapiro was also a sign of the importance of abortion, since the GOP-controlled state legislature was expected to attempt to pass tighter abortion restrictions or an outright ban.
Shapiro, unlike his GOP opponent, Doug Mastriano, will veto such legislation.
Oz’s loss is a blow to Trump and to Republicans, who hoped to hang onto the Pennsylvania seat to take control of the Senate. Fetterman will replace retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.
The win gives Democrats a small amount of breathing room in their fight to retain control of the 50-50 Senate. Several key Senate races remained undecided early Wednesday, and Fetterman’s win means Democrats can afford to lose one of those seats.
But the flip alone – especially in a midterm election where the party of the president in power typically loses seats – cheered Democrats.
“John endured mudslinging and personal attacks from his Republican opposition, worked through his own recovery and kept fighting to build a broad, diverse coalition from every corner of Pennsylvania,” Guy Cecil, chairman of the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, said in a statement. “I am confident that he will bring that same resolve to the United States Senate.”
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