Almost a week after Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman’s shaky performance during a debate with Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor’s recovery from a May stroke remains a widely discussed topic as the Nov. 8 election draws closer.
On Oct. 25, at the only scheduled debate between the candidates vying to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, Fetterman often struggled to speak in complete sentences, stumbled over his words, and delivered responses punctuated by prolonged pauses.
Before the candidates offered their opening statements, the moderators explained that a closed captioning system would be used so that Fetterman could follow their questions and Oz’s answers. Fetterman’s campaign made the request, and Oz’s campaign agreed.
Fetterman suffered a stroke days before the May primary and cast his ballot from a hospital room.
Fetterman’s speech challenges were evident at every stage of the event. The exchange regarding his contradictory positions on fracking over the last few years illustrated his struggles.
Oz pointed out that Fetterman “supported the vote against the Keystone pipeline that ended up shutting it down” and that “he supports Biden’s desire to ban fracking and public lands.”
Fetterman responded by claiming “I’ve always supported fracking and I always believe that independence with our energy is critical, and we can’t be held, you know, ransom to somebody like Russia.
“I’ve always believed that energy independence is critical and I’ve always believed that—and I do support fracking, never taken any money from their industry, but I support how critical it is that we produce our energy and create energy independence.”
A moderator followed up by asking, “I do have a specific question which you can continue on this topic but you have made two conflicting statements regarding fracking. In a 2018 interview, you said quote, ‘I don’t support fracking at all, I never have,’ but earlier this month, you told an interviewer quote, ‘I support fracking. I support the energy independence that we should have here in the United States.’”
The moderator continued by asking Fetterman, “So [how] do you square the two [comments]?”
“I do support fracking. And I don’t, I don’t, I support fracking and I stand and I do support fracking,” Fetterman responded.
Democratic leaders and pundits are debating whether Fetterman made a mistake taking the stage.
David Carlucci, a former New York state senator who is a Democratic campaign strategist, told The Epoch Times that Fetterman showed “courage” by debating Oz.
“Most politicians would have skipped the debate. He (Fetterman) is ahead in the polls and it is widely known he is recovering from a stroke,” Carlucci said. “He had the courage to be transparent with the voters and say he’s dealing with this disability and the setbacks that come with a stroke. He is being real, and I think it is refreshing.”
Former Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell offered advice about how Fetterman can rebound from the performance.
“In retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have debated,” Rendell told The Associated Press. “But the key is he is recovering from a stroke.”
“The only way to recover from this is for John to go out in public as much as possible—to be seen, to be interviewed, and do as much as he can to let people know that he’s ready to take office,” Rendell added.
Fetterman is heeding that advice.
On Oct. 26, Fetterman appeared at an outdoor stage in Pittsburgh and spoke for 13 minutes before introducing musician Dave Matthews.
On Oct. 27, Fetterman participated in a virtual town hall hosted by the U.S. Hispanic Business Council.
The organization represents 4.8 million Hispanic-owned companies that contribute $800 billion to the American economy, according to founder and CEO Javier Palomarez.
Palomarez said he watched the Oct. 25 debate and that he is “less concerned about a debate performance than I am his stance on issues that matter for the small business community.”
“More people are leaving the state than coming in. The reason is there are few jobs in the state. The lack of growth points to a bleak economic picture,” Palomarez told The Epoch Times.
“We’ve polled over 4,000 Hispanic business owners in Pennsylvania. All of them are saying the same message. ‘Hey, man, I’m struggling to keep my business alive.”’
Hispanics represent 30 percent of employment in the energy sector, so Fetterman’s viewpoints on that topic are especially important, Palomarez said.
“Transitioning to clean energy is a laudable objective. However, our businesses have to live in the real world,” Palomarez said. “The current admin is going too far, too fast. We need elected officials to pump the brakes on the maddening pace that is driving up prices in every way for business owners.
“As the price of energy goes up, so does the price on everything else,” he added. “Whether it is Oz or Fetterman, we need a senator who walks into the chamber and understands the realities facing small businesses.”
During the town hall, which also used closed captioning, Fetterman expanded his beliefs about energy and fracking.
“I fundamentally believe we should always be making more energy right here in America,” Fetterman said. “The truth is, Democrats always must be honest about energy security and how critical it is we can’t have a strong economy if we don’t have the power to support it.”
An all-renewable energy reliance is “just not realistic,” he added.
Fetterman was asked if he would back initiatives like West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s proposal to streamline the approval process for pipelines and energy transmission lines.
“As long as it’s done in a very safe and environmental way, I support that,” Fetterman said. “So long as it doesn’t run through residential neighborhoods or [is a] danger to the population, I can support that.”
During a rally last weekend at Temple University in Philadelphia, Fetterman told a crowd of supporters that “the debate wasn’t easy, you know” and that “after that stroke, I got knocked down, but I got back up because I had to.
“And that’s really the core value of our campaign,” Fetterman added. “We are running for anyone that ever got knocked down that had to get back up, too. Any forgotten communities or community’s towns that got left behind, that got knocked down, because they have to get back up.”
Last weekend, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attended the Independence Dinner in Philadelphia. Fetterman and Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro were also there at the Pennsylvania Democratic Party fundraiser.
Biden said that the Nov. 8 midterm election is “gonna shape what this country looks like for the next decade or more; not a joke. Let’s be clear: this election is not a referendum. It’s a choice, a choice between two vastly different visions of America.”
At the event, Biden said about Fetterman, “You know who he is, you know where he stands, and you also know John is Pennsylvania.”
Biden and former President Barack Obama will rally together in Philadelphia on Nov. 5, three days before Election Day.
They will campaign for Fetterman and Shapiro along with “Pennsylvania Democrats down the ballot ahead of the midterm elections,” the Democratic National Committee announced on Oct. 31.
Fetterman entered the debate with a two-point lead over Oz in the most recent poll. Published on Oct. 25, the survey from CBS News-YouGov showed Fetterman with 51 percent support compared with 49 percent for Oz.
On Oct. 26, Oz gained a 47.5 percent to 44.8 percent lead over Fetterman, according to a poll by Insider Advantage.
Wick Insights published a survey on Oct. 28 that showed Oz ahead of Fetterman, 47.6 percent to 45.9 percent. Among the 3 percent who were undecided, 64.4 percent reported they are leaning toward Oz compared with 35.6 percent for Fetterman.
In a compilation of polls, FiveThirtyEight shows Fetterman with a 47 percent to 45.8 percent advantage as of Oct. 31.
In the final week leading to Nov. 8, Fetterman should keep his focus on what makes him different from Oz and traditional elected officials, Carlucci explained.
“He wears hoodies, has tattoos, and doesn’t fit the mold of a typical politician, and that is appealing to many voters in Pennsylvania,” Carlucci said. “He should keep going to events and showing first-hand the contrast between him and Oz.
“We are in a hyper-partisan environment,” Carlucci added. “If you have already decided, this debate did not change your mind.”
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