Pittsburgh Paper Calls on Fetterman to Debate Dr. Oz: 'Serious Concerns'

A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial published Tuesday says U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman's refusal to debate his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, "raises serious concerns" about his ability to represent his state in Washington, D.C.

Fetterman has opted not to debate Oz, and the Republican has capitalized on the decision to launch attacks against Fetterman's health. While the Pittsburg Post-Gazette criticized Oz's campaign strategy, the editorial board agreed that Fetterman choosing not to debate raises concerns.

"If Mr. Fetterman's communication skills have not yet recovered sufficiently to effectively debate his opponent, many voters will have concerns about his ability to represent them effectively in Washington," the editorial reads. "While he has gamely undertaken more campaign events and media interviews in recent weeks, Mr. Fetterman still speaks haltingly and relies on closed captioning to fully understand his conversation partners."

A recent polling average compiled by FiveThirtyEight shows Fetterman with about an 8-point advantage over Oz. Two other recent polls from Susquehanna Polling and Research and Emerson College found Fetterman with 5- and 4-point leads, respectively.

In a Fox News interview on Monday, Oz said he has "tremendous empathy and compassion" for Fetterman due to understanding the difficulty of recovering from a stroke. He added that he has "offered" Fetterman "numerous" opportunities to debate in different fashions but said that his opponent has declined "to face hard questions."

"There are five major companies that have offered debates; I've accepted these five debates," Oz told interviewer Dana Perino. "There was one that was supposed to be next Tuesday he just pulled out of. There's another one next Friday, let's see what he does with that."

Nearly a month ago, Fetterman campaign strategist Rebecca Katz told NBC News that Oz's debate demands were part of "an obvious and pathetic attempt" to change the tone of the race because he is down in the polls.

"John is up for debating Oz—but we're not going to do this on Oz's terms," Katz said August 12, adding how Fetterman had a stroke three months earlier. "A millionaire celebrity like Dr. Oz is probably used to pushing people around and getting his own way, but he's not going to be able to bully John Fetterman."

That same day, Fetterman campaigned in front of about 1,000 supporters nearly three months after his stroke, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Democrat has also limited interactions with reporters and supporters, according to the Associated Press, and his campaign has acknowledged the use of closed captioning during two Zoom interviews with local news organizations.

Fetterman was most recently seen marching with union members in Pittsburgh on Labor Day.

Oz's senior communications adviser Rachel Tripp recently told Insider if Fetterman had "ever eaten a vegetable in his life" the stroke may have been prevented, in response to Oz being mocked for complaining about the price of preparing crudité.

Fetterman's campaign responded to the comment by saying politics is knowingly "nasty" but that they "could never imagine ridiculing someone for their health challenges."

The Post-Gazette referred to the comment about Fetterman's health as "sandbox bullying" that imitates language used by former President Donald Trump. Trump called Fetterman a "socialist loser" and "the most dangerous Democrat" at a rally Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The editorial said Oz "is pressing the [health] issue in an adolescent manner" but that "a live debate is the best way to assure voters Mr. Fetterman is up to the job."

"The Republican's antics have given Mr. Fetterman a plausible out: He won't share the stage with someone who has behaved so shamefully. But that won't cut it," it reads.

Newsweek reached out to the Fetterman and Oz campaigns for comment.