Celebrity TV doctor, Mehmet Oz, left, has benefited from millions of dollars spent on TV ads from outside groups to help him close the gap with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in the Pennsylvania Senate race.
Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images
John Fetterman and Mehmet OZ agree to a debate
-
Robby Brod
Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Celebrity TV doctor, Mehmet Oz, left, has benefited from millions of dollars spent on TV ads from outside groups to help him close the gap with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in the Pennsylvania Senate race.
It’s official: Pa.’s U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman, will debate on Oct. 25 – two weeks before Election Day.
That might sound late, but here are the dates for Pa.’s last four Senate debates:
-Oct. 20, 2018: Bob Casey/Lou Barletta’s only debate
-Oct. 17, 2016: Pat Toomey/Katie McGinty’s first debate
-Oct. 26, 2012: Bob Casey/Tom Smith’s only debate
-Oct. 20, 2010: Pat Toomey/Joe Sestak’s only debate
The problem, Oz says, is that absentee ballots in Pa. began going out to voters earlier this week, which he believes puts him at a disadvantage.
This is the first time no-excuse absentee voting will be used in a U.S. Senate race in Pa., so there’s no exact comparison to make. The Department of State did not provide data for when absentee ballots were received in 2020, but about 2.5 million Pennsylvanians voted by mail that year – most were Democrats.
Fetterman denies that he dodged a debate with Oz in September after backing out of the scheduled event, and says he is making a full recovery.
The Purple Buck Newsletter
Get insights into WITF’s newsroom and an invitation to join in the pursuit of trustworthy journalism.
