Dr. Oz Pulls Ahead of John Fetterman in New Poll

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Pennsylvania GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, is leading Democratic opponent John Fetterman in the key race, according to a new poll.

The study conducted by Real Clear Politics showed 47.5 percent of the 750 likely voters surveyed said they would vote for Oz if the Senate race were held today, compared to 44.8 percent who chose Fetterman, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor. The poll was carried out Wednesday, with a margin error of 3.58 percent.

In the latest poll by FiveThirtyEight on Thursday, Fetterman is beating Oz, with 47.2 percent of voter support compared to 45.3 percent for the Republican.

Fetterman faced his Republican opponent in a debate on Tuesday in the state's only senatorial debate, which the Democratic nominee said "wasn't exactly easy" but added that he might have made "American political history" by appearing on stage after suffering a stroke in the same year.

The Democrat held a rally in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, where he was met by cheering supporters. Fetterman told the crowd that his campaign had raised more than $2 million in the day following the debate with Dr. Oz.

"You know, after that stroke, I got knocked down, but I got back up," Fetterman said. "And I'm going to fight for everyone in Pennsylvania who ever got knocked down that ever had to get back up."

Though concerns have been raised over Fetterman's health after his stroke in May, a few days before the state's primary, he still received endorsement for the Senate seat to replace retiring GOP Senator Pat Toomey.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board endorsed Fetterman in an op-ed published this month about why the Senate race matters to Pennsylvanians. The board also listed a number of issues that matter to people in the state, including protecting abortion rights and restoring the expanded child tax credit.

"These initiatives and others could potentially stall in Congress' divided upper house. That is just one reason why it is crucial for Pennsylvania voters to elect John Fetterman to the U.S. Senate in November," the board wrote, and later added in the op-ed that "Fetterman's continued recovery should not be inherently disqualifying."

The news outlet's editorial board also wrote that Fetterman is an "experienced public servant" who has "an abundance of the kind of values and priorities that are needed to move the nation forward," while adding that Oz is a "man wholly unprepared to be Pennsylvania's U.S. senator."

"Oz has refused to commit to opposing a national abortion ban, opposes the expanded child tax credit, would repeal the Affordable Care Act, and would vote against red flag gun-control laws," the board wrote. "Those positions are all reversals from views that Oz held as a Republican just a few years ago. If there are any values that Oz holds dear, it is difficult to ascertain what they are."

Newsweek has reached out to Fetterman's campaign for comment.