Dr. Oz responded to John Fetterman’s agreeing to debate on October 25 with a new list of demands.
Oz demanded that the debate be extended by 30 minutes and suggested that there was a conspiracy to give Fetterman the questions in advance:
Oz campaign response to Fetterman debate requests @WGAL #pasenate pic.twitter.com/CsJXoFJtrY
— BarbaraBarrWGAL (@BarbaraBarrWGAL) September 14, 2022
Rebecca Katz, senior advisor to the Fetterman campaign, responded to Oz’s demands:
Oz agreed to a 60-minute Nexstar debate. Then we agreed to a 60-minute Nexstar debate. Now, suddenly 60 minutes isn’t good enough, and he’s demanding 90. Let’s be real: If we agreed to 10 debates, Oz would be demanding 20. He’s going to keep trying to move the goalposts because this is his only play.
Dr. Oz said he wanted a debate, but it turns out what he really wanted was a distraction. But there’s no distracting voters from the facts: In the Senate, John Fetterman will always vote to protect abortion rights, and Dr. Oz would vote to take them away.
That’s the real debate. See you on October 25th.
Oz agreed to the debate, and now he wants additional conditions met. The reality is that John Fetterman is leading the US Senate race. He doesn’t need to debate. Lt. Gov. Fetterman would probably win the election without a debate.
The Oz campaign’s response to Fetterman accepting the debate suggests that debates never were the issue. The Oz campaign is looking for something to get Pennsylvania Republicans behind their candidate because his support is lagging, and time is running out.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association