This week marked a shift in strategy for Oz, as his campaign increased pressure on Fetterman to participate in televised debates. Meanwhile, a pro-Oz group released an ad targeting Fetterman over a 2013 incident in which he pulled a gun on a black man suspected of a crime. His new attack on Fetterman comes as the environment in Pennsylvania and across the country increasingly favors Senate Democrats, with several electoral underdogs recently relegating the Keystone Senate race to the “flying” category. The latest Real Clear Politics polling average shows Fetterman leading Oz by 6.5 points, but Oz allies say the Republican will likely close that gap as many candidates are doing after Labor Day. “It’s full steam ahead,” said a national Republican operative. “I think the change of Dr. Oz is that everyone is rallying around him and Fetterman can’t hide behind Twitter anymore.” The week’s coverage of the race was largely dominated by the back-and-forth between the Oz and Fetterman teams over the scheduling of the televised debates before Election Day. Oz has invited Fetterman to participate in a series of discussions starting this month. On Tuesday, the Republican Senate candidate used a joint news conference with retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to invite the lieutenant governor to talk to the famous doctor. The next day, Fetterman told Politico in an interview that he has committed to attending a debate against Oz “sometime in mid-to-late October” and at a “major television station” in Pennsylvania. “We’re definitely going to discuss Dr. Oz, and that’s really always been our intention to do that,” Fetterman told the outlet. “It was just about addressing some of the persistent issues of stroke, auditory processing, and we’re going to be able to solve that.” Oz allies called the interview a concession by Fetterman after Oz slammed him for taking part in the debate. They also point to the fact that Fetterman was absent from a primary debate held in early April. “Before John Fetterman had his stroke, he was also afraid to debate his opponents, especially in the primaries,” the GOP national operative said. Oz’s allies argue that a debate held in mid- to late October will be too late for most voters who want to vote early. Fetterman’s allies say the date works well since the election is on most voters’ minds by mid-October, as opposed to a September debate. Republicans also point to what they say is a natural advantage for the former TV doctor. “He has a tremendous amount of experience on television, and that experience is in an interactive environment, so I think he’s used to it,” said Keith Naughton, a Republican strategist with campaign experience in Pennsylvania. “The key for him is to have some good practices so he can handle some of the aggressive questions that he’s not used to.” Democrats, on the other hand, argue that Oz’s camp is essentially using the debate back-and-forth as a distraction from what they say are bigger issues with the Republican nominee. “It’s important to remember that he’s trying to dig himself out of a pretty big hole that he’s in after the summer he’s had,” said a Democratic national operative. “If any problem defined race, it was ‘Mehmed Oz is not from Pennsylvania and has no Pennsylvanians.’ Fetterman’s campaign over the summer launched an aggressive digital campaign portraying Oz as irrelevant and unfamiliar to the state. In July, they enlisted former “Jersey Shore” cast member Nicole “Snooki” LaValle to highlight the Oz residency issue in a campaign video. Fetterman also started a petition last month to add Oz to the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Fetterman and Democrats have also hammered Oz for his holdings. “Each week of this campaign has brought new revelations about Mehmet Oz that put him on the defensive, and everyone has come to one conclusion: he’s a fraud, an unknown millionaire who doesn’t understand the concerns of Pennsylvania’s working families,” said Patrick Bergwinkle. , representative of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “The only reason he’s running for the Senate is to serve himself and his multimillionaire friends, and that’s why he’ll be voted out in November.” Fetterman supporters also pointed to an op-ed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board on Friday calling for Oz to stop attacking Fetterman over the debates. “Now that Mr. Fetterman has thrown down the gauntlet, it’s time for Mr. Oz to retire his attack dogs,” wrote the paper’s editorial board. The article marks a marked shift in tone from the publication, which had argued that Oz had “reasonable concerns” about Fetterman’s health amid the controversy. Disney worker, teachers among 160 arrested in Florida human trafficking probe: Sheriff Thomas & Friends welcomes first autistic character “If Mr. Fetterman is not well enough to debate his opponent, it raises serious concerns about his ability to serve as a United States Senator,” the article said. While plans for a debate have yet to be finalized, most observers seem to agree that Pennsylvanians shouldn’t count on seeing Fetterman and Oz on a debate stage together more than once. “I was expecting them to do one and that’s it,” Naughton said.
