Fetterman Agrees to Late October Debate With Oz, Weeks After Early Voting Begins

Criticized for weeks by Republican opponent Mehmet Oz over “ducking” and “dodging” forums, Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman has agreed to a televised debate next month.

The event will be held in Harrisburg, which is the capital of Pennsylvania, and coordinated by Nexstar Television on Oct. 25, exactly two weeks before the Nov. 8 general election day. The debate will be aired live throughout the state.

Fetterman continues to recover from a stroke he suffered just before the Democratic primary in May. The Pennsylvania lieutenant governor has made few public appearances since winning the Democratic nomination and has been the subject of criticism by Oz and recent editorials in the Washington Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Philadelphia Inquirer that have questioned his health.

Last week, Fetterman agreed to debate Oz, but he did not set a date. Oz has proposed five debates, the first of which would have taken place last week. The Oct. 25 forum falls after the start of early voting. Oz has insisted that the first debate be held in September before early voting begins.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr Mehmet Oz (R) holds a press conference with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 6, 2022. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

In a statement, Fetterman senior campaign adviser Rebecca Katz said, “We said from the start that we’d do a debate, which John reiterated very clearly again last week. Enough distractions, it’s time to talk about the issues.”

“While John will be debating Dr Oz next month, Oz doesn’t have to wait that long to be honest with Pennsylvania voters about where he really stands on abortion,” Katz added.

“It’s a simple question, doctor: Would you vote for the Republicans’ national abortion ban, or would you vote against it?”

Dressed in a Carhartt hoodie,

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