- Democrat John Fetterman beat Republican Mehmet Oz in a face-off for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
- Fetterman is the state's lieutenant governor and Oz is a celebrity doctor and first-time candidate.
Democrat John Fetterman defeated Republican Mehmet Oz for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
2022 General EmbedsPennsylvania US Senate candidates
Fetterman and Oz faced off to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey in a battleground race critical to both parties' fortunes in the US Senate — and a seat Democrats are aiming to flip back from Republican control.
Fetterman has served as Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor since 2018 and was previously the mayor of Braddock, a borough in the western part of the state. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, rose to prominence as a celebrity doctor thanks to exposure from Oprah Winfrey, and is best known for his work on television hosting the "Dr. Oz Show."
Fetterman, a progressive, centered his campaign around being a reliable 51st vote for Democratic priorities in the Senate. Like many Democrats running nationwide, he heavily advocated for enshrining abortion rights into federal law after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. He also supports changing the current filibuster rules to ease the passage of Democratic-led legislation and strongly supports marijuana legalization, even pushing President Joe Biden to decriminalize marijuana.
Fetterman's campaign also slammed Oz on social media for living in New Jersey for much of his adult life and career.
Meanwhile, Oz hammered Fetterman for his policy positions and sought to tie him to Biden's low public approval ratings. Oz, similiar to many Republicans, focused his platform on issues like the economy and crime.
Fetterman's health was also been a major focal point of the race as the candidate recovers from a stroke in May. Oz's campaign pressured Fetterman, who has had auditory processing difficulties, to release more medical information about his condition. Fetterman released a recent doctor's note that said the candidate "is recovering well from his stroke and his health has continued to improve."
Voting history in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is a competitive swing state that backed former President Donald Trump by 1.2 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election before flipping to support Biden by 1.2 percentage points in the 2020 election.
In the Senate, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey defeated his GOP opponent Lou Barletta by 13 percentage points in 2018, a Democratic wave year. Toomey, meanwhile, defeated his final Democratic opponent, Katie McGinty, by just 1.5 percentage points in 2016.
The money race
This race will certainly stand as one of the most expensive 2022 midterm races in the nation.
According to OpenSecrets, Fetterman raised $56.7 million, spent $52.1 million, and had about $4.5 million in cash on hand, as of October 19. Oz raised $40.4 million, spent $37.7 million, and had $2.6 million in cash on hand, as of October 19. Oz personally accounts for the majority of the money his campaign has raised.
Meanwhile, super PACs, national party committees, politically active nonprofits, and other non-candidate groups have spent more than $240 million combined in the race as of November 7, including the primaries.
What experts said
The race between Fetterman and Oz was rated as a "toss-up" by Inside Elections and The Cook Political Report and "leans Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.