PHILADELPHIA — Democrat John Fetterman verbally stumbled at times Tuesday night in what was some voters’ first and only chance to see him taking live questions ahead of Pennsylvania’s crucial U.S. Senate election Nov. 8. Recovering from a stroke, he argued he understands the struggles of everyday voters.
Republican Mehmet Oz frequently dodged specific policy questions but attempted to cast himself as the centrist in the race — even as his answer on abortion rights will surely be featured in Democratic ads calling him out of step with Pennsylvanians.
Here are some key takeaways from Pennsylvania’s high-stakes Senate debate, in a race with control of the chamber potentially riding on the outcome:
—Fetterman’s struggles after stroke
The debate featured significant discussion of serious policy issues — inflation, abortion, gun laws, crime, fracking and other topics — but much of it covered positions the candidates have long staked out. What was new Tuesday night was seeing Fetterman on stage, and there was a wide consensus, even among many Democrats, that it didn’t go well.
Fetterman, to be clear, appeared able to follow the debate and the questions, using closed captioning to help with his auditory processing issues. He pledged to support a “union way of life” and “forgotten communities.” But his answers were often halting and short, especially as the hour wore on.
He told The Philadelphia Inquirer in advance that he expected the night to be “a challenge” — and it was.
In one notable example, he was asked about past criticism of fracking and his current support for a major Pennsylvania industry. Fetterman responded:
“I do support fracking,” before pausing, and then adding, “I support fracking, and I stand, and I do support fracking.”
Republicans immediately circulated the clip on social media. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., an Oz supporter who isn’t seeking reelection, tweeted, “Anyone watching today could tell there was only one person on that stage who can represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate: @droz.”
Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, anticipated the attacks in his opening statement, casting himself as an underdog who would fight for others who have struggled.
The stroke, Fetterman said, “knocked me down, but I’m going to keep coming back up, and this campaign is all about to me ... fighting for everyone in Pennsylvania that ever got knocked down and needs to get back up.”
There’s a difference between struggling to speak (which Fetterman has acknowledged) and struggling to comprehend or think. And Fetterman has done several recent interviews with new outlets, including with the Inquirer and the PennLive editorial board in which his speech was more fluent, and stumbles more rare.
But as the Senate race has grown uncomfortably tight for many Democrats, Fetterman’s performance on a big stage Tuesday didn’t assuage the party’s worries about the momentum in the campaign.
Until now, most of Fetterman’s public appearances were in stump speeches or media interviews, but this was a full hour facing direct attacks with just 20 or 30 seconds to respond. What remains to be seen is how many people tuned in, and if they found Fetterman’s answers worrying, or just real.
—Oz stance on abortion: Women, doctors and “political leaders”
While Oz, a surgeon and former daytime talk show host, was a smoother talker, Democrats think he made the most serious fumble of the night, and some critics argued that he came across as smarmy. Asked about a proposed national ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, Oz said it should be up to states to decide — including by local politicians.
“I want women, doctors, local political leaders letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” Oz said.
Democrats emphasized the “political leaders” part of the response, arguing Oz would allow politicians to interfere with women’s health choices.
Oz refused to explicitly say how he would vote on the 15-week ban proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., hinting he opposed it without saying he would vote “no.”
“There should not be involvement from the federal government in how states decide their abortion decisions,” Oz said.
Pressed three times if that meant he was a yes or no on that bill, he declined to say.
Fetterman said he would support reinstating federal abortion law as it stood under Roe v. Wade, and Democrats see the issue as a key factor for suburban women.
“If you believe that the choice for abortion belongs between you and your doctor, that’s what I fight for,” Fetterman said.
Less than two hours after the debate ended, he announced plans for a new ad emphasizing Oz’s answer.
—Oz dodges, but tries to claim the center
Abortion wasn’t the only issue on which Oz gave a fuzzy answer.
Asked about the bipartisan gun law signed this summer, Oz said parts of the legislation “make sense” but others need improvement, without saying how he would have voted. (Toomey supported the law, showing one major potential difference between the state’s sitting Republican senator and the man who might replace him).
Pressed on raising the minimum wage, Oz argued the private sector should be relied on to bring wages up, and said a mandatory $15 minimum wage would result in closed businesses. (Fetterman supports a $15 federal minimum wage and the gun bill).
Oz’s main message, though, was that he is a centrist. He repeatedly used the word “balance,” and he called Fetterman “extreme” at least nine times.
“We need to send someone to Washington who understands the importance of balance, sensible decision-making, and a common-sense approach to the challenges that we all face. That’s not John Fetterman,” Oz said at one point.
Democrats say Oz’s rhetoric is contradicted by his positions on abortion, the minimum wage and Medicare, and his close ties to former President Donald Trump (He said he’d support another Trump presidential run). They argue Oz is saying whatever’s most helpful rather than having core values.
Fetterman repeatedly called it “The Oz rule: If he’s on TV, he’s lying.”
It’s an age-old strategy in Pennsylvania: running to center after a rough primary. Republicans typically have to do so in a state where they have a voter registration disadvantage.
—The battle for real Pennsylvanians
Fetterman repeated a common attack on Oz — that the ultrawealthy celebrity doesn’t understand Pennsylvania.
“I’m running to serve Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said. “He’s running to use Pennsylvania.”
Oz repeatedly brought up campaigning around Pennsylvania as a way to bat back that criticism.
”I want to bring civility, balance, all the things that you want to see because you’ve been telling it to me on the campaign trail,” he said in his opening.
And they both went at each other’s personal wealth.
Fetterman pointed out he lives across from a former steel mill and said Oz can’t fathom the economic pain of low wages or inflation.
“Dr. Oz can’t possibly understand what that is like, you know, he has 10 gigantic mansions,” Fetterman said.
Oz countered with an ongoing attack that Fetterman’s family supported him until well into adulthood.
“John Fetterman brings up houses. The irony is he didn’t pay for his own house. He got it for $1 from his sister, and he hasn’t been able to earn a living on his own,” Oz said. “He’s lived off his parents.”
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