John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate running against Republican Mehmet Oz for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, brought up the stroke he suffered in May in a new ad released Friday.
The lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania spoke at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. Fetterman recuperated from a stroke in May and returned to the campaign trail. The photo was taken by Nathan Smallwood.
Fetterman begins the ad with a mention of his stroke and his relief at seeing his wife and children after the show, telling viewers "we've got to make it easier for people to spend time with those they love."
Fetterman struggled to say "empathetic" in an interview with NBC News that aired Tuesday from his home in Pennsylvania.
Burns said Fetterman had trouble engaging in small talk before the interview and that it wasn't clear he was understanding.
Kara Swisher and Rebecca Traister, both of whom interviewed Fetterman recently, disagreed with Burns's report. The challenge is a hearing/auditory one.
In an attempt to distance himself from his own campaign's negative comments about Fetterman's health, Rachel Tripp said in August that if Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke.
Litzow questioned Fetterman's ability to serve in the Senate if he can't even get through a short amount of small talk.
Fetterman's health has become a prominent issue in the race since he suffered a stroke on May 13, and though Oz on Friday said he disagreed with some of the comments made by his staffers, he has also capitalized on Fetterman's health troubles. Maybe, he does. Voters have a lot of question marks. Fetterman has not disclosed much about his health except for a letter from his doctor. In an interview with the PennLive editorial board this week, he admitted that he wouldn't have been able to sit in front of you in May or June or July because of his health. He said he needs closed caption because of his struggles with hearing. Fetterman's double-digit polling lead over Oz has narrowed over the past month to 6 points. The contest to fill Sen. Pat Toomey's seat is critical to Democrats' ability to hold the Senate, which is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
The debate between Oz and Fetterman will be aired on October 25. Fetterman agreed to the debate if closed caption was available.
Fetterman has a double-digit lead over Oz.
Fetterman doesn't want to commit to releasing more medical records.
Fetterman's use of caption is common in stroke recovery.
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