Fetterman's health takes center stage at debate with Oz

All eyes on Pennsylvania on Tuesday night seemed to focus on the U.S. Senate debate between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Most of the attention focused on Fetterman’s health.

“The two candidates differed sharply on multiple issues during the debate, held in a Harrisburg television studio. But Mr. Fetterman’s verbal missteps were among the most notable aspects of the evening, as he continually tripped over his words. He opened his first answer by saying, ‘Good night, everybody,’ rather than ‘Good evening,’” the Wall Street Journal reported.

“An obvious reason many tuned in to Tuesday’s debate was the question of how Fetterman would do. His campaign sought to significantly lower expectations in advance — taking a page out of Herschel Walker’s playbook — recognizing that he could be in for a rough night,” the Washington Post reported. “And it was a rough night.”

Fetterman’s health has been a focal point for months since he announced days before the May primary that he had suffered a stroke. In the lead-up to Tuesday’s debate, Fetterman made no secret that he is still facing auditory processing issues, prompting the release of medical reports from his doctor that have deemed him fit for public office.

Closed captioning was used for the candidates at the request of Fetterman, who has said he has temporary communication challenges as a result of the stroke. The candidates discussed several issues, including inflation, fracking and abortion.

The New York Times described “unusual conditions” with the television monitors situated above two moderators that broadcast the closed captioning in real time.

The Hill reported that Fetterman’s speech included some verbal missteps and said he “struggled at times to form clear sentences” as he appeared to search for a word or phrase. The New York Times also pointed to Fetterman beginning the debate by saying “good night” and reported that he failed to vigorously respond to criticism. Though, they said, that was tempered with well-delivered sentences.

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Axios reported that it was difficult to see how the debate quelled concerns about Fetterman’s health and ability to serve. Sources told the news outlet Fetterman didn’t seem to be ready for the challenge about five months post-stroke.

The Washington Post cited a disability advocate who said Fetterman likely would face more scrutiny for messing up a word or sentence. However, those missteps should not be indicative of his ability to serve, the advocate told the Post.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that “Fetterman’s performance, answering live questions in 30- and 60-second responses on stage … is likely to be the most scrutinized part of a debate that has drawn national attention — both for the importance of the Pennsylvania campaign, and for the widespread focus on Fetterman’s recovery from a May stroke.”

Oz campaign strategist Barney Keller called the debate “a complete disaster,” for Fetterman, the Inquirer reported.

The Fetterman campaign released a statement after the debate praising Fetterman’s performance.

“We are thrilled with John’s performance. He did remarkably well tonight — especially when you consider that he’s still recovering from a stroke and was working off of delayed captions filled with errors. John won countless exchanges, counter-punched aggressively, and pushed back on Oz’s cruelty and attacks,” the campaign said.

“Debating has never been John’s strength – it wasn’t even before the stroke – yet he still managed to go toe to toe with a professional talk show host on live TV.”