With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, the stakes for the Pennsylvania Senate seat are rising.

Article by Lydia McFarlane, Junior White House Producer

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania is now home to one of the most important senate races in the country. The results of this race will have large implications for the rest of the nation. Tuesday night marked the first televised debate between leading Pennsylvania Senate candidates, John Fetterman (D) and Dr. Mehmet Oz (R). John Fetterman currently serves as Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor, while Dr. Oz is new to the realm of politics after his longtime career as a television personality and doctor.

This debate was hotly anticipated, as it was the first and only debate between the two candidates.

This is unusual for such a high stakes political race, but Fetterman has spent most of his time on the campaign trail recovering from a major stroke that he suffered in May. The focus of the  debate was Fetterman’s health and recovery. He has stayed relatively private as he has worked to recover from his stroke.

Fetterman’s doctors say that he is expected to make a full recovery, and that he is making great progress only five months post stroke. Fetterman has developed auditory-processing issues due to the stroke, which means he has trouble processing spoken words, but not understanding them. 

This was evident throughout the debate, as Fetterman took a while to process the questions and words from the moderators as well as Oz.

In addition to this, Fetterman appeared to have a hard time finishing sentences, dropping words or at times even losing his train of thought.

While the debate showed the extent of Fetterman’s recovery thus far, it also highlighted the vast differences in policy between the two candidates. The moderators hit both candidates hard with questions about the upcoming election’s top issues such as the economy, abortion, and crime.

While the two debated policy and showed the nation their differing policies on almost every topic, they both returned to comfortable phrases throughout the entirety of the debate. Oz repeatedly used the phrase “extreme,” saying that Fetterman is too extreme and too liberal for Pennsylvanians. Fetterman harped on the “Oz Rule,” citing it basically every time Oz appeared to be lying.

As the debate went on, both candidates struggled with some of the questions. Fetterman’s position on fracking remains unclear after the debate. The moderators and Oz cited Fetterman’s previous antipathy towards the practice of fracking, to which he responded, “I have always supported fracking and I always believe independence with our energy is critical.” This contradiction left the moderators, Dr. Oz, and viewers confused about his true policy position on the issue.

While Fetterman struggled with fracking, Dr. Oz struggled with the topic of abortion, refusing to say whether or not he would support South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham’s (R) bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. However, Dr. Oz said that decisions on abortions should be left up to “women, doctors, local political leaders.” Fetterman’s campaign has already announced that they will put money into an ad using this language from Oz.

Since the end of the debate, analysts and strategists have talked about whether it was wise for Fetterman to take to the debate stage given his current state of recovery. Oz did not mention Fetterman’s recovery or stroke, which is inconsistent with his campaign’s often mocking tone towards Fetterman’s current situation. Oz did say, “This is the only debate I could get you to come to talk to me on, and I had to beg on my knees to get you to come in.” 

Whether Fetterman’s appearance and performance at the debate will harm or help his campaign is unknown. While Democrats are expected to stand behind Fetterman, it is not clear whether voters will. Fetterman did give a disclaimer, saying to viewers that his presence was enough to prove his fitness for office.

“Let’s also talk about the elephant in the room,” Fetterman said. “I had a stroke; he’s never let me forget that. It knocked me down and I am going to keep coming back up.”

While abortion and fracking brought up the most questionable answers from the candidates, many other topics such as healthcare, taxes, crime, inflation, minimum wage, and foreign policy came up as well. The candidates had differing opinions on basically every issue, but they both agreed that Pennsylvania must raise its minimum wage.

Heading into the midterm elections, this sole debate between the Pennsylvania Senate candidates might prove to be important in shaping the outcome of the election.