Democratic candidate for Senate John Fetterman’s lead in the polls has shrunk to just 2 points over Republican challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz, tightening the race with only five days to go until Election Day.
About 47% of Pennsylvania voters say they plan to vote for Fetterman, while 45% say the same for Oz, according to the latest polling from Suffolk University and USA Today. Another 7% of voters said they would have voted for Fetterman if he didn’t have a stroke but now plan to consider other candidates.
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The latest numbers show a 6-point decrease from a similar poll conducted in September, indicating Fetterman’s uneven debate performance last week may have a negative impact on his political chances.
Fetterman’s campaign team praised his performance during the Oct. 25 debate, noting he did “remarkably well” despite technical difficulties with the closed captioning system set up to assist him during the event.
Moderators 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 and stumbled over certain phrases, prompting criticism from Republicans and worrying some Democrats about how it would affect his election chances.
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Of those who watched the debate, more than half (62%) said Oz was the winner. Only 17% said the same for Fetterman, the poll showed.
The USA Today/Suffolk University poll surveyed 500 likely Pennsylvania voters from Oct. 27-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
