Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor, had been leading in the polls by significant margins over the summer, but television host Oz started to close the gap in recent weeks, particularly after the rocky debate performance by Fetterman.
The lieutenant governor suffered a stroke just before the primary in May and has relied on closed captioning in recent interviews and the debate.
The race served as a stark contrast with the state’s Senate race between Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz (R), which polls showed as being consistently closer.
The Oz-Fetterman race could decide whether Republicans or Democrats control the U.S. Senate; Pennsylvania will also go a long way toward determining the presidential winner in 2024, just as it fueled the victories of Obama, Trump, and Biden.
On Nov. 3, RealClearPolitics scored Oz’s support at 46.6%, while Fetterman’s post-debate support continues to fall, now to 46.3%; a difference well within the margin of error.
The lead is Oz’s first as he has trailed since the candidates won their respective primary elections in May 2022. Fetterman once held an 8.7-point lead over Oz in Aug., when Oz had just 39% support.
For President Joe Biden, who will hold a rare joint appearance with former President Barack Obama in Philadelphia meant to boost the Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania will amount to a political stress test in his home state, where he‘s traveled 20 times since taking office.
For former President Donald Trump, who rallies outside of Pittsburgh in the city of Latrobe, a win by his hand-selected candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz could prove his own enduring viability in a commonwealth he lost by a narrow margin in 2020.