Even the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has “had enough” of Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman, Mehmet Oz told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Nov. 1 after the city’s largest newspaper endorsed the celebrity surgeon.
The Post-Gazette endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2020, the first time the media outlet backed a Republican for president since Richard Nixon in 1972.
Oz is a “unifier” who will “work with Democrats to get things done for Pennsylvania,” and he shows the “potential to become an influential, thoughtful, and independent senator,” according to the editorial.
During his interview with Hannity, Oz brought up the stances Fetterman promoted during the Oct. 25 debate between the two candidates in Harrisburg.
“I think what you witnessed during the debate was that John Fetterman can’t defend his radical views,” Oz said. “I don’t think Barack Obama can either.”
Former President Obama is scheduled to join President Joe Biden in Philadelphia on Nov. 5 to stump for Fetterman and Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro.
Fetterman served as mayor of Braddock, a borough located about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, and still lives in the community of 1,721 residents.
In September, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board called on both candidates to release their medical records. Oz obliged, and the results indicated he is in good health. Fetterman repeatedly refused.
In October, a Post-Gazette editorial once again urged him to follow Oz’s lead. Fetterman eventually released a letter from his physician on Oct. 19 from a doctor who wrote that he “is recovering well from his stroke” and “has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office.”
Fetterman has yet to release his medical records.
At the Oct. 25 debate in Harrisburg, a moderator asked him, “Will you pledge tonight to release those records, in the interest of transparency?”
Fetterman said, “You know, I believe if my doctor believes that I’m fit to serve, and that’s what I believe is appropriate” and added, “My doctors believe I am ready to be served.”
When the moderator pressed on the issue, Fetterman replied, “Again, my doctor believes I am fit to be serving, and I believe that is where I am standing.”
In their endorsement of Oz on Oct. 30, the Post-Gazette editorial board stressed that Fetterman’s health after the May stroke was not an issue.
“His lack of transparency, however, in refusing to release his medical records is troubling. It suggests an impulse to conceal and a mistrust of the people,” the editorial reads.
“All candidates for a major elected office should release their medical records, as did Mr. Oz. If you want privacy, don’t run for public office.”
“Mr. Fetterman’s life experience and maturity are also concerns,” the editorial board went on to say, adding that Fetterman’s mayoral tenure in Braddock was only possible because financial support from his family subsidized his $150 weekly salary.
“He has lived off his family’s money for much of his life. That has allowed him to do some good things, including mentoring disadvantaged young people,” the board wrote.
“Still, Mr. Fetterman, despite his hoodies and shorts, has little experience in holding real jobs or facing the problems of working people.”
Oz is “more moderate on some issues than portrayed” by progressive critics, according to the Post-Gazette endorsement, which added, “We don’t believe he will be a stooge for the far right.”
The editorial noted that “neither candidate has experience as a U.S. senator” and “given the lack of substance during the campaign, many voters will have to make a leap of faith on Nov. 8. We believe Mr. Oz is the better bet for Pennsylvania.”
The race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey will play a role in determining which party controls the chamber in 2023.
In a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Oct. 31, Fetterman owned a 5-point advantage over Oz with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
A Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll published on Nov. 1 reported that Fetterman has a 1 percentage point edge.
On Nov. 2, A Monmouth University survey indicated that 48 percent of respondents said they would definitely or probably vote for Fetterman, while 44 percent said they would definitely or probably cast their ballot for Oz.
FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls shows Fetterman with a 46.9 percent to 45.9 percent lead over Oz as of Nov. 1.
