John Fetterman To Debate Oz In October

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced that he would stick to the traditional Pennsylvania US Senate debate schedule and debate in mid to late October.

Fetterman said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

We’re absolutely going to debate Dr. Oz, and it was always our intent to do that. It has simply only ever been about addressing some of the lingering issues of my stroke, the auditory processing, and we’re going to be able to work that out.

We will debate sometime in the middle to end of October — as each of the past two Pennsylvania Senate races have — on a major television station to reach voters across the Commonwealth. We are still finalizing the details. 

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There is literally zero precedent in modern times for having U.S. Senate debates in Pennsylvania in early September. That was never going to happen. All of these debates have always occurred in the middle to late October.

But let’s be clear this has never really been about debates for Dr. Oz. This whole thing has been about Dr. Oz and his team mocking me for having a stroke because they’ve got nothing else.

The call for more debates is a gimmick that has been used by losing campaigns in the modern era for decades. Trailing candidates often see their only way of catching up is by exposing their opponent through debates.

Researchers have long suspected that debates have tiny to no influence on election outcomes. 

A voter who hasn’t made up their mind before a debate isn’t likely to decide by watching a debate.

Debates don’t swing elections, and candidates who are relying on a debate Hail Mary are often already on the path to defeat.

The Oz call for debates is a ploy for attention and a gimmick to distract from the fact that he is losing.

Even Trump couldn’t help Oz, so it is doubtful that a debate will make any difference.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association