by Bronson Winslow
The majority of the audience from Tuesday night’s debate between Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov John Fetterman and Republican challenger Mehmet Oz felt that Fetterman failed to perform, according to a new poll.
Following the debate, the audience poll showed that only 18% of viewers believed Fetterman won the debate opposed to 82% who responded in favor of Oz, according to the WPXI poll. The audience poll showed a sharp lead for Oz in public opinion compared to Fetterman, who is still two points above Oz at 47.2% to 44.9%, according to an aggregated poll by FiveThirtyEight.
In early May, Fetterman suffered a stroke, leaving him out of commission for three months while his wife Gisele Fetterman continued with his campaign. The lingering effects of the stroke appeared to present during Tuesday’s debate as Fetterman struggled to form sentences and continually stumbled over his words.
“Hi. Goodnight, everybody,” Fetterman said as the debate began.
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
During the debate, each candidate criticized the other, both launching accusations of the other being out of touch with everyday economic struggles due to personal wealth. In August, Oz came under fire after a video went viral of the candidate mispronouncing the name of the grocery store Wegmans while also referring to a veggie tray as a “crudité.”
Both candidates have stated that they are pro-fracking, but Fetterman seemed to flip-flop during the debate. “Uh, I do support fracking, and I don’t, I don’t, I support fracking, and I stand, and I do support fracking,” he said.
The stroke is not the first health concern related to Fetterman as the candidate released a report by cardiologist Dr. Ramesh Chandra in June that stated he suffers from a decreased heart pump and atrial fibrillation. Fetterman is also diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and requires a pacemaker.
Fetterman released a letter from his physician that said he was diagnosed with "a decreased heart pump" in 2017.
In a follow-up yesterday, his doctor told him that while A-fib caused his stroke, he also has cardiomyopathy, which is why he got the device. https://t.co/rdqLEI2A40
— Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) June 3, 2022
Tuesday night’s debate is the only scheduled debate between the two candidates before the Nov. 8 election. Mail in ballots began Sept. 19 with more than 640,000 already submitted.
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Bronson Winslow is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Senate Debate” by WHTM – abc27 News.
