Fetterman, Oz spar on issues in debate
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman wouldn’t commit to releasing his full medical records during a highly anticipated debate against Republican Mehmet Oz on Tuesday, speaking haltingly throughout the hourlong event more than five months after experiencing a stroke.
Fetterman, Pennsylvania's 53-year-old lieutenant governor, has acknowledged that he “almost died" after suffering a stroke in May. On Tuesday night, he addressed what he called the “elephant in the room."
“I had a stroke. He’s never let me forget that,” Fetterman said of his Republican opponent. “And I might miss some words during this debate, mush two words together, but it knocked me down and I’m going to keep coming back up.”
Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon, ignored his opponent's health throughout the debate, though he has hammered Fetterman on the issue repeatedly during the campaign. On Tuesday night, Oz attacked Fetterman's policies on crime, saying he is “trying to get as many murderers out of jail as possible.”
The meeting was the first and only major statewide debate this year in Pennsylvania, since Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano couldn’t reach an agreement on terms for a gubernatorial debate.
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