'Why Did Fetterman Agree To This?' Senate Candidate John Fetterman Criticized For Poor Performance During Debate Against Rival Dr. Oz
Senate candidate John Fetterman’s poor debate performance this week against his rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has come under intense scrutiny, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Fetterman and Oz, who are facing off in an election on November 8 to secure Pennsylvania’s sole open Senate seat, had their only debate on Tuesday night ahead of next month’s election.
But while the two candidates sparred back and forth over topics like abortion, fracking and inflation, Fetterman – who suffered a stroke in May and is still recovering – struggled to both effectively process the questions he was being asked and communicate clearly his responses.
Throughout the debate in Harrisburg on Tuesday, Fetterman regularly missed words, paused awkwardly and oftentimes brought what he was saying to a grinding halt midsentence.
"Why the hell did Fetterman agree to this?" one Democratic lawmaker who has backed Fetterman told Axios following the high-stakes debate. "This will obviously raise more questions than answers about John's health."
Other voters took to social media after the debate to slam Fetterman and question the 53-year-old lieutenant governor-turned-Senate candidate’s fitness to run for office roughly five months after suffering a stroke.
“The key takeaway is Fetterman is not qualified or physically able to do the job,” one voter wrote on Twitter after the debate. “Move on.”
“Fetterman should not be permitted to be an active candidate for US Senate, based on what I saw. Sad to watch,” another user tweeted. “No one would land a job if they functioned that way in an interview. Compassionate thing to do is to let him heal, and retrain his brain/speech in rehab; run later time.”
- 'This Isn't John's Format': Senate Candidate John Fetterman's Campaign Issues Memo Tempering Expectations Ahead Of Dr. Oz Debate
- Senate Candidate John Fetterman Speech Struggles Continue One Week Ahead Of Election Against Dr. Mehmet Oz
- Sharp-Tongued Dr. Oz Blasts Political Rival For 'Dodging' Debates, Claims It's 'Insulting' To Pennsylvania Voters
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“The only takeaway is that [John Fetterman] is incapable of serving as a [Pennsylvania] Senator and should withdraw immediately,” wrote another. “His family and staff should be ashamed of themselves for purporting his candidacy.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Fetterman’s campaign team released a memo on Monday tempering viewers’ expectations for the Democratic candidate ahead of the much-hyped debate.
“We’ll admit — this isn’t John’s format,” the memo said. “Look no further than the debates from the primary earlier this year.”
“If we’re all being honest, Oz clearly comes into Tuesday night with a huge built-in advantage,” the memo released by Fetterman’s campaign added.
The memo also warned viewers to expect “awkward pauses” and “temporary miscommunications” from Fetterman. They also warned viewers to expect to hear Fetterman “missing some words, and mushing other words together.”
According to a poll released by the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania outlet WPXI, 83% of voters believe Oz won Tuesday night’s Senate debate while only 17% of voters believe Fetterman won the debate.
Fetterman also went into the debate polling 2 points ahead of Dr. Oz with the election on November 8 only less than two weeks away.
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