Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman will defeat the Republican and former daytime TV host Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate race, Fox News' Decision Desk projects.
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., announced he would not be seeking a third term in office, leaving the Republican-held seat open and vulnerable as one of the best pickup opportunities for the Democratic Party this fall.
Democrat Fetterman was the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania for 13 years before being sworn in as lieutenant governor in 2019. Fetterman suffered a stroke in May, causing clear auditory processing issues that evidently effected his speaking abilities in the months leading up to Nov. 8.
Oz, a well-known television personality and surgeon, was the Republican nominee in the Keystone State's Senate race.
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Democrat John Fetterman, left, and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, right. (Mark Makela, Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg)
The public erupted over the pair's first and only debate, where the competitors covered critical topics such as abortion, immigration, crime and fracking, while also raising eyebrows over Fetterman's health.
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Due to his auditory processing issues, Fetterman requested closed captioning during the debate, but still appeared to struggle in delivering his responses. Although the Democrat claimed his doctor cleared him as able to "work full duty in public office," he refused to release his medical records to the public.
Despite auditory processing issues, Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman debated his GOP challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz. (NewsNation)
"I support Roe v. Wade," Fetterman responded when asked if he supported any restrictions on abortion, which Oz immediately claimed as false, citing Fetterman's primary debate where he allegedly said he would support abortion up until 38 weeks.
PENNSYLVANIA SENATE CANDIDATES JOHN FETTERMAN AND DR. MEHMET OZ CLASH IN FIRST AND ONLY DEBATE
Oz stated that he believes the federal government should not be involved in determining a state's laws on abortion. "I am not going to support federal rules that block the ability of states to do what they wish to do. The abortion decision should be left up to states," Oz stated.
Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz participates in a debate with his Democratic challenger John Fetterman. (NewsNation)
"The open nature of our border, which John Fetterman supports, has created a humanitarian crisis," Oz said of the crisis of the southern border, "It's making every state a border state."
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The moderators also pressed Fetterman on a 2018 statement where he said, "I don't support fracking, at all, and I never have." Fetterman declared on the debate stage that he in fact does support fracking and "always" has.
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