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With less than one month until the midterm elections, The Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board endorsed Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor and Democratic U.S. Senate nominee John Fetterman, who is running against GOP challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz, to replace retiring GOP Senator Pat Toomey.
In an op-ed published on Sunday, the prominent newspaper's editorial board wrote about why the Senate race matters to the state and listed some of the issues that Pennsylvanians care about, 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.
The paper said that it also endorsed Representative Conor Lamb in the Democratic primary in May because of his position, that "largely aligned with our own," on issues such as the child tax credit, abortion rights, the filibuster, and public policy matters.
Why Is Fetterman Considered a Better Candidate?
The Inquirer's editorial board argued that the lieutenant governor understands the importance of advocating for the state on a federal level, bringing a "ground-level appreciation for the challenges facing Pennsylvanians" to Washington.
"An experienced public servant, Fetterman has an abundance of the kind of values and priorities that are needed to move the nation forward—and to earn this board's support. The Inquirer endorses John Fetterman for U.S. Senate," the board said.
In 2013, the Democratic candidate was criticized for pulling a shotgun on an unarmed Black man when he was serving as the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Fetterman, at the time, mistook the man for a shooting suspect, with the paper's editorial board mentioning that Fetterman said he understands the effect of racial profiling better now.
In May, the lieutenant governor had a stroke a few days before the state's primary, raising concerns about whether he would be able to continue in the race given his health conditions. However, the Inquirer said that "there is no reason Fetterman cannot serve effectively after his stroke."
"Fetterman's continued recovery should not be inherently disqualifying. A few sitting U.S. senators, including Ray Lujan and Chris Van Hollen, have successfully served after suffering strokes. Arlen Specter, the former Philadelphia district attorney and Pennsylvania's longest-serving U.S. senator, continued to hold office for 18 years after brain surgery in 1993," the board said.
It added that his health conditions "should not significantly impair him from performing in his role as a senator. Fetterman knows what his values are and is capable of communicating them."
Fetterman's campaign touted the newspaper's endorsement in a press release sent to Newsweek on Sunday.
Why Mehmet Oz Seems "Unprepared"?
Comparing Fetterman to Oz, the Inquirer discussed the different values and concerns held by both candidates.
"...Mehmet Oz, 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 Inquirer's board said. "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."
The board pointed out that Oz "cozied up" to former President Donald Trump, who is currently being investigated for allegedly mishandling classified documents when he left the White House last year. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in regard to the documents. The former president was also subpoenaed on Thursday by the House select committee investigating last year's Capitol riot for his actions on that fateful day.
Oz's record also lacks "any significant record of public service," according to the board, which added that the celebrity doctor hasn't challenged any of the GOP's "most concerning priorities."
What the Polls Say
Despite the criticism targeted at Oz, the Republican candidate might experience a boost over Fetterman as a result of rising gas prices across Pennsylvania, according to Republican strategist Jay Townsend.
The state's gas price was up to almost $4 a gallon this week, while Wednesday's prices were at $3.930, which is a little higher than the national average of $3.922 and higher than last week's state average of $3.772, according to AAA.
"Plain and simple. Rising gas prices help Republican candidates this year," Townsend recently told Newsweek.
Still, Fetterman is "favored" over Oz, according to a recent FiveThirtyEight poll, which gave the Democrat 71 chances in 100 of winning as of Saturday.
Another poll by Suffolk University conducted for USA TODAY, which was carried out from September 27 to 30, found that among 500 likely voters Fetterman was leading by 46 percent compared to Oz's 40 percent.
Newsweek reached out to Oz's campaign for comment.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more