Fetterman team lauds debate performance despite 'delayed captions filled with errors'

Cami Mondeaux

October 26, 07:43 AM October 26, 08:16 AM

John Fetterman’s campaign team praised his performance during Tuesday’s candidate debate for Pennsylvania’s Senate race, noting he did “remarkably well” despite technical difficulties with the closed captioning system set up to assist him during the event.

Moderators of the debate allowed the use of closed captioning so Fetterman could read and respond to questions more easily due to an auditory processing disorder caused by a stroke he suffered in mid-May. However, Fetterman still struggled through some of his answers, taking long pauses between responses and stumbling over certain phrases.

FETTERMAN WON’T COMMIT TO RELEASING MEDICAL RECORDS BUT SAYS HE’S FIT TO SERVE AFTER STROKE

“We are thrilled with John’s performance,” Fetterman’s campaign said in a statement shortly after the debate ended. “He did remarkably well tonight — especially when you consider that he’s still recovering from a stroke and was working off of delayed captions filled with errors.”

Fetterman’s campaign tried to manage expectations ahead of Tuesday’s debate, conceding the Democratic lieutenant governor was still in recovery and not accustomed to speaking on live television. In contrast, Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz has years of experience hosting the Dr. Oz Show for 13 seasons.

“Let’s be clear about this match-up: Dr. Oz has been a professional TV personality for the last two decades,” Fetterman’s campaign said in a memo released Monday. “We’ll admit — this isn’t John’s format.”

Fetterman’s stroke recovery has been at the center of the Senate race, with Oz’s campaign frequently using it as an attack to claim the Democrat is not fit to serve a six-year term in the Senate. However, Fetterman has pushed back on those claims, releasing a letter from his doctor last week that clears him for public service and says his “health has continued to improve."

The debate on Tuesday was the first and only scheduled debate between the two candidates just two weeks before Election Day. Recent polling shows Fetterman with a narrow lead over Oz, 51% to 49%, according to a YouGov/CBS News poll, in a race that is likely to determine which party takes control of the Senate in November. That poll surveyed 1,084 registered voters in Pennsylvania between Oct. 21-24 and has a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points.

Fetterman-Oz live debate: Pennsylvania Senate candidates square off

Cami Mondeaux

October 25, 07:30 PM October 25, 07:30 PM

Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz are set to face off in their first and likely only debate on Tuesday night as they battle for the high-stakes Senate seat in Pennsylvania that is likely to determine which party gains control of Congress in November.

The highly anticipated debate is the first time the two candidates will appear face to face. Fetterman suffered a stroke in mid-May, causing him to be largely absent from the campaign trail over the summer as he recovered. Oz’s campaign has used this as a frequent attack against the Democrat, arguing his health would prevent him from fulfilling his duties as a senator.

Oz had also used the debate schedule as an attack, calling on Fetterman to agree to at least five debates before Election Day. However, Fetterman’s campaign took issue with Oz’s rhetoric regarding his health, questioning whether it was appropriate coming from a doctor.

Recent polling shows a tightening race between the two candidates, with Fetterman leading Oz with an average of 2.3 percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Tuesday’s debate will be hosted by WHTM, an ABC affiliate in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EST.