The nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed the Pennsylvania Senate race’s rating from “toss up” to “lean Democrat” as Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz trails in the polls.
The swing state’s closely watched race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is now expected to slightly favor Democratic candidate John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. He leads Oz in the polls by an average of 11.5 percentage points, according to the FiveThirtyEight average.
IN THE PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE, WHAT MOTIVATES VOTERS IS COMPLICATED
“If you had asked us before primaries began in earnest in early May, we put the odds that Republicans would flip the Senate at more than 60 percent, with a gain of as many as four seats possible,” Cook Political Report said of the midterm elections’ trajectory. “Right now, the range we see is between Democrats picking up one seat and Republicans gaining three. However, the most probable for now may be a net change of zero or a GOP pickup of one to two.”
Fetterman’s attacks have repeatedly focused on the decades Oz spent living in New Jersey, with the Democrat even enlisting Jersey Shore’s “Snooki” for an ad mocking the celebrity surgeon in a bid to frame him as a carpetbagger. Oz, for his part, has compared Fetterman’s travel schedule to Joe Biden’s while campaigning for president during the COVID-19 pandemic, criticizing Fetterman for “hiding in his basement.”
Fetterman is slowly returning to the campaign trail after suffering a stroke three months ago.
Both candidates have tried to frame each other as out of touch. Fetterman blasted Oz on Wednesday for apparently owning 10 properties after Oz said he only owned two homes.
“Someone who doesn’t even know how many homes they own can NOT be trusted to fight for actual Pennsylvanians,” he said on Twitter. “Dude is completely out of touch + is not one of us.”
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Oz responded by recalling that Fetterman received financial help from his parents until he was almost 50.
“I purchased my houses with MY money. You lived off your parents until you were almost 50,” he said. “Regular people don’t mooch off their parents when they’re 50. Get off the couch John!”
