Curt Flewelling, FISM News
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In politics, momentum is everything. Dr. Mehmet Oz seems to be hitting his stride at the right time as he has pulled even with his opponent John Fetterman just two weeks before Pennsylvanians go to the polls to elect their U.S. Senator.
One recent poll actually has him slightly ahead of the Lieutenant Governor. Many polls that had Fetterman up just a few weeks ago are now declaring the race a statistical dead heat. So what’s happening?
University College London Political Science Associate Professor Thomas Gift told Newsweek, “Fetterman has proven to be a seriously flawed candidate, with Oz effectively painting him as ‘far left’ and ‘outside-the-mainstream’ on a number of issues, but particularly crime.”
“Pennsylvanians have been blasted with ad after ad portraying Fetterman as a poster child for the extreme progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Fair or not, Fetterman has had a hard time combatting the perception that he’s hardline partisan,” Gift said.
Republicans know this strategy is working. The GOP-aligned American Crossroads organization has recently funded a unique ad that continues to hammer home this point. The ad attempts to persuade voters inclined to cast their ballot for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, not to vote for John Fetterman, painting the Lieutenant Governor as far more radical than Shapiro.
This Oz ad is mentioned at the end of this midterm political landscape piece.
Notable to see him try to create divide between Shapiro and Fetterman in minds of voters, with Mastriano far behind in pollshttps://t.co/W3zQ665JXv pic.twitter.com/B04najte1r
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) October 9, 2022
The ad may not persuade anyone to back Oz but it may certainly blunt straight-party voting among independents and moderate Democrats, thereby hurting Fetterman.
As Fetterman’s once-significant lead is evaporating, Dr. Oz seems content to let his opponent’s record do his work for him. He has done this with effective advertising, as he has been careful not to take on the Trumpian persona that his fellow Republican and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano has embraced.
Although both candidates are endorsed by Trump, the two men have employed a much different style coming down the home stretch. Mr. Mastriano continues to be unabashedly conservative employing a bombastic approach that could alienate some swing voters.
Oz on the other hand has used the words “too extreme” to describe both Democrats and Republicans in order to not alienate undecided moderate voters. This may be a wise tactic given the fact that Pennsylvania has been a decidedly blue state for several election cycles. The exception was in 2016 when Trump narrowly won the state.
Who wins or loses this race may very well come down to tomorrow’s debate. Despite significant differences on many issues, the biggest variable in the race right now is Fetterman’s medical condition. All eyes will be on the Democrat as lingering questions concerning his health remain.
If John Fetterman can comport himself well, he will do a lot to allay the fears of independents and middle-of-the-road Democrats who still have doubts about his ability to serve in the U.S. Senate.
If he falters, this could be all Dr. Oz needs to prevail on November 8.