John Fetterman Won’t Debate Mehmet Oz in Early September

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee in the state’s high-profile U.S. Senate contest, said Tuesday that he won’t debate Republican rival Mehmet Oz in early September as he recovers from a stroke in May.

According to a statement obtained by The Hill, Fetterman, who won the Democratic nomination while in the hospital, cited a statement made earlier on Tuesday by Oz’s campaign, which Fetterman described as making fun of his stroke.

The statement by Oz’s campaign outlined a list of concessions it’s willing to make to entice Fetterman to take part in a debate next week on KDKA-TV.

Oz’s campaign promised, in an apparently mocking tone, that the Republican candidate won’t “intentionally hurt John’s feelings” during the debate.

The Republican’s campaign also promised to allow the Democrat to “have all of his notes in front of him along with an earpiece so he can have the answers given to him by his staff, in real time.”

“At any point, John Fetterman can raise his hand and say ‘bathroom break!’” the statement continued. “If the topic of his pardoned murderers comes up, we will allow extra time for him to explain that second-degree murder is ‘not as bad as’ first-degree murder.”

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz greets supporters after the primary race resulted in an automatic re-count due to close results on May 17, 2022, in Newtown, Pa. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) Response

What Fetterman appeared to find particularly offensive was the final concession that Oz’s campaign was willing to “pay for any additional medical personnel he might need to have on standby.”

This, he said, made it “abundantly clear” that Oz and his campaign “think it is funny to mock a stroke survivor.” Fetterman said he won’t participate in the debate, describing it as a “farce.”

“I will not be participating in a

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