John Fetterman and Dr. Oz go head to head

Pennsylvania Senate hopes John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor from the Democratic Party, and RepublicanTV host Dr. Mehmet Oz kicked off his only debate Tuesday night in Harrisburg.

Right out of the gate, the candidates rushed one after the other – Fetterman’s speeches were often halting and jerky.

Fetterman called Oz a “liar” every time he appeared on television, while Oz blasted Fetterman for taking “extreme” positions.

Ahead of Tuesday’s debate, Fetterman’s campaign tempered expectations in a memo, noting there could be “delays and mistakes” and “awkward pauses” due to a democrat using subtitles.

Fetterman is using the technology, with questions being transcribed by hand by debate staff because of his auditory processing problems, a residual effect of a stroke he suffered in May.

Pennsylvania Senate candidates John Fetterman, left, the state’s Democratic lieutenant governor, and Republican TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, right, began their only debate Tuesday night in Harrisburg

The memo also named Oz’s campaign for attacks on Fetterman’s health, which were mostly made through the Republican’s campaign headquarters.

“Oz will try to play the good doctor on Tuesday night, but his campaign’s attacks on John’s health have been consistently vile and cruel,” the note said. “We won’t forget that this is the same ‘doctor’ whose campaign ridiculed John’s use of captioning technology, that he needed toilet breaks and medical staff nearby, and that he wouldn’t have had a stroke if he’d eaten his vegetables “.

Oz’s staff made the comments when the September debate was being negotiated, but it never happened as Fetterman backed out, saying the Republican’s team was mocking the stroke victim.

The Harrisburg stage will be the only meeting between the two candidates as mail-in ballots have already been sent to Pennsylvania voters.

Fetterman has consistently held a slight lead in the polls, which continues, although several recent polls show it to be close.

A CBS News poll on Tuesday showed a two-point gap between the two candidates.

According to the poll, 51 percent of Keystone State voters support Fetterman, compared to 49 percent who support Oz.

The advantage of the democratic populist is within the margin of error of 4.4 percent.

Pennsylvania voters are anxious to see how the matchup ends, a CBS News poll shows.

More than 60 percent of respondents said they at least “somewhat” enjoy being connected.

The survey was conducted from October 21 to 24, until the evening before the debate.

In addition to his auditory processing impairment, the stroke left Fetterman occasionally stumbling over his words and pausing more when speaking.

A new poll, a day before John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz’s first and only debate, shows the Democrat’s lead over his Trump-backed rival at just 2 percent

But polls show voters aren’t interested in hearing about it tonight.

Nor are they interested in new attacks on Oz’s residence in Pennsylvania versus his family home in New Jersey, which have been a cornerstone of Fetterman’s campaign.

Fifty-four percent of registered voters told CBS they did not want a discussion about Fetterman’s health.

Likewise, 57 percent said they don’t need to hear more about where Oz lives.

But more than nine in 10 Pennsylvanians polled said they want candidates to talk about the economy, as well as their views on crime and policing.

That could be an advantage for Oz tonight — Americans’ worries about the economy and soaring inflation have become a key campaign issue for Republicans across the country as a growing number of opinion polls show voters trust Republicans slightly more than Democrats, both on economy, and crime.