Reporter’s notebook: Debate night in Pennsylvania

On a drizzly Tuesday afternoon in Harrisburg, Pa., Denise Wilmarth donned a black and white wig, a dalmatian print vest, and a handmade sign that read “Cruella de Vil loves Oz.” In her Halloween-esque costume, she headed to the WHTM-TV studio to support Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman in his one and only debate with Mehmet Oz.

And she wasn’t the only supporter in costume. Oz supporters donned orange prison uniforms and carried “Inmates for Fetterman” signs between their cuffed hands. Wilmarth’s outfit targeted Oz for allegations of animal abuse in medical experiments while he was a principal investigator at Columbia University’s Institute of Comparative Medicine. The Oz supporters called out Fetterman’s push to ease sentencing guidelines and decriminalize marijuana.

The highly anticipated debate took place just two weeks before Election Day on Nov. 8. It resulted from weeks of negotiations. Fetterman and Oz are statistically tied in a race that could decide party control of the Senate after the midterm elections. 

Fetterman suffered a stroke days before the primary in May. News of it was not released until voters were already heading to the polls. While he underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker, the 6-foot-8-inch lieutenant governor won with nearly 70 percent of the vote. But since then, he has taken a lighter approach to the campaign trail and avoided public interviews and debates.

Fetterman downplayed expectations ahead of the debate. On Oct. 15, he released a doctor’s note which cleared him to “work full duty in public office” and reported “no cognitive deficits.” Nevertheless, Fetterman said he might skip a word or mush two together. The campaign released a memo just before the hourlong event saying, “This isn’t John’s format.” In his opening remarks, the candidate said his recovery and campaign represent that “anyone who’s been knocked down and gotten back up.” Fetterman did not answer whether he would release his full medical records.

Although the studio provided near-instantaneous closed captioning upon request, Fetterman struggled to form full sentences and missed key words in his statements. When pressed on issues, he repeated lines nearly verbatim. Long-time debate coach and Republican strategist Mark Weaver said it’s normal for candidates to hammer a particular message, but Fetterman’s performance was different.

“There were complete failures to understand questions and really very concerning gaps in response time and mistakes in word choice. That would make him the least effective person in what some people have called the world’s greatest debating society: the U.S. Senate,” Weaver said. “Much of that debate takes place off camera, in the committee rooms, or in the back rooms, where you have to be able to speak quickly, intelligently, and assertively for your state. And that’s where he’s failing.”

Supporters have not taken criticism or concern for Fetterman’s health well. The campaign has described any comments on his auditory processing delays as discriminatory against persons with disabilities or stroke recovery side effects. While outside the studio, I asked Fetterman supporters whether they had concerns about their candidate’s recovery. Bernard, a Democratic volunteer and lifelong Harrisburg resident, said even asking the question was discrimination. Wilmarth said she’s confident in a full recovery and that casting doubt on Fetterman’s health was “a low blow.”

In his opening remarks, Oz said he plans to bring civility and unity to Washington, but he opted for attacking Fetterman on the debate stage more than answering policy questions. For every question, Oz redirected to criticize Fetterman’s “dangerous and radical” positions, making him out to be a candidate too extreme for even the Democrats. When asked about risky and untested medications that were advertised on his television show, Oz refused to answer the question and accused Fetterman of promoting “socialized medicine” instead.

In most rebuttals, Fetterman claimed the “Oz Rule:” that his opponent lies on every television appearance and is out of touch with Pennsylvanians. Some supporters outside felt the same way. Keith Bence, a Harrisburg resident and a Democrat, held a sign calling Oz a “snake oil salesman.”

“He’s backpedaled on issues. So how can you trust somebody like that, especially when all he is is a Hollywood hack?” Bence asked. “That’s the snake oil part. But my main concern in this election is that it seems to be bought by the most millionaires. That’s not what my republic is about.”

Fetterman has frequently criticized Oz for only moving to Pennsylvania in the last two years, branding him as an out-of-touch millionaire. Oz supporters outside the debate didn’t buy it.

“I found him to be very compelling, a fantastic candidate,” Harrisburg attorney Matt Bugly said. “Fetterman has shown that he is a new, more left-wing, socialist brand of the Democratic Party, and it’s concerning. So I trust somebody like Dr. Oz to represent my opinions more than someone who’s lived here his entire life.”

Inflation and economic concerns remain at the top of the list of issues for voters not only in Pennsylvania but also across the country. When asked about raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, both candidates supported the idea though in different ways. Fetterman supported a federal policy. Oz said he wants free market forces to independently raise the minimum wage well beyond the $15 benchmark.

Abortion ranks as another top voter issue. Fetterman declared that he would codify Roe v. Wade if presented with that vote. Earlier in the campaign, Oz said he was pro-life but supported exceptions for abortions such as for rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. When asked if he would vote in favor of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s proposal for a federal pro-life law, Oz did not respond to that specific bill. Instead, he argued that abortion decisions belong at the state level, “between a woman, her doctor, and state and local officials.”

Democrats circulated a clip of this statement to galvanize pro-abortion voters. Meanwhile, Republicans latched onto moments when Fetterman misspoke or jumbled words together. But the debate style stuck out to analysts and viewers more than policy implications did.

“The most objective thing I can say is that this was uncomfortable to watch,” said Vince Galko, a Republican consultant for a Pennsylvania-based public affairs company. “Oz was clearly prepared. He’s obviously an entertainer, so it was a natural setting for him. The Fetterman team was smart to downplay expectations, but they may have actually been better off not doing the debate. It did more harm than good.”

Establishment Democrats are now mobilizing to bolster Fetterman, racing not only to preserve a 50-50 Senate split but also hoping to pick up a seat. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. arrived outside the studio in a Fetterman campaign bus and posted a picture to Twitter of him watching the livestream of “the 51st Democratic vote.” Fetterman’s spokesperson declared that the candidate delivered hard-hitting arguments against Oz despite captioning errors. Nexstar said the captioning was instantaneous and quality-checked. The media company also pointed out that Fetterman was offered two rehearsals and only attended one to familiarize himself with the format.

Money is also changing hands on the Republican side. The Republican Senate Leadership Fund and affiliate political action committees pulled some funding from the U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire, where Republican Don Bolduc trails Democratic incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan by nearly 5 points. Instead, more than $6 million is flowing into Oz’s race with only 13 days left until the delicate balance of the U.S. Senate is decided.