Politics

Democratic Lt. Pennsylvania Gov. John Fetterman Beats Dr. Oz In Senate Race

Pennsylvania Candidate For Senate John Fetterman Holds Election Night Party In Pittsburgh

(Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Democratic Lt. Pennsylvania Gov. John Fetterman won his senate bid Tuesday against Republican challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Fetterman won 50.2% or a total of 2,587,382 votes, while Oz won 47.4%, or 2,441,145 votes, according to The New York Times, which has 94% of reporting in.

“It’s official. I will be the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. We bet on the people of Pennsylvania – and you didn’t let us down. And I won’t let you down. Thank you,” Fetterman tweeted.

“Thank you, PA” he added, alongside several pictures.

Fetterman’s win comes after a high-profile debate between the two candidates, which led to questions over Fetterman’s cognitive abilities.

During the debate, Fetterman repeatedly stumbled over his words and made several gaffes. Fetterman opened the night by saying, “Hi. Goodnight, everybody.” (RELATED: ‘Sad To Say The Least’: Pennsylvania Voters Question Fetterman’s Health)

At other points, Fetterman struggled to speak and repeatedly trailed off and lost focus. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said at the time that Fetterman was “struggling” and it was “very obvious that he’s impaired. His ability to communicate is impaired and the question is now Pennsylvania voters have a pinnacle of choices.”

Some voters told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo they favored Oz over Fetterman following the debate.

Fetterman suffered a stroke in early May prior to winning his primary race. He did not reappear on the campaign trail until August. Fetterman’s stroke may have cost him up to 7% of voter support, a poll conducted by Suffolk University and USA Today found.

Oz had no prior political experience and spent many years on TV. Oz was named in several lawsuits that alleged he made misleading claims on his show, according to the Associated Press.

The doctor was also criticized after he was accused of living primarily in New Jersey rather than Pennsylvania. Oz later said on the campaign trail he was “proud to own property in Pennsylvania,” according to ABC News.

Oz also had some trouble among some conservatives, having flip-flopped on the issue of abortion and openly supporting same-sex marriage.