John Fetterman Defeats Mehmet Oz in U.S. Senate Race in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated Mehmet Oz in the race for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, according to NBC News.

The win means a pickup for Democrats.

Fetterman suffered a stroke in May, sidelining him for weeks. When he returned to the campaign trail, he struggled at times to articulate his thoughts while recovering.

In his only debate with Oz, Fetterman used a monitor with closed captions to help him process spoken words. The Oz campaign agreed to the aid, so long as this was acknowledged at the beginning of the debate.

Oz, a political novice, was dogged by questions about his Pennsylvania bona fides. The former heart surgeon whose TV career was launched by Oprah Winfrey lived in New Jersey for decades. He only registered to vote in the Keystone State in 2020, using his in-laws address as a residence.

Fetterman took full advantage by repeatedly portraying Oz as a unprincipled carpetbagger in campaign ads and on social media.

He will replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who ran afoul of former President Donald Trump. Toomey voted to convict him on the impeachment charge of incitement to insurrection.

Trump endorsed Oz, giving him an edge in the Republican primary. The ex-TV doc was one of several first-time candidates to earn Trump’s backing in this election cycle.