Oz, Fetterman clash on abortion, fracking and more in Pennsylvania Senate debate

This combination of file photos shows Democratic Senate candidate, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, left, and Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022 photos.

Two weeks before Election Day, John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz took to the stage for their only debate.

Fetterman said that if Oz was on TV, he would be lying.

Oz accused Fetterman of being soft on crime and called himextreme.

The Democrat who is recovering from a stroke appeared to struggle with his pronunciation during the debate. He said his campaign was all about fighting for anyone in Pennsylvania who had to get back up after being knocked down.

The race to win the seat being held by retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey is seen as one of the most important races of the election season.

The contest in the swing state where President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in 2020 is one of the best chances for Democrats to win back the Senate majority. The Republicans want to take control of the upper chamber of congress.

In a debate in Pennsylvania, the candidates were asked about abortion rights, raising the minimum wage, gun reform and the state's oil and gas industry.

Fetterman supports the framework established by the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the abortion precedent.

Oz wants the decision on abortion to be left to women, doctors, and local politicians.

Fetterman said he has always supported the practice, but struggled to explain an apparent contradiction when the interviewer noted he had previously said he "never" supported the practice.

They were asked about their records and previous jobs. Oz said he gave high-quality information that made people feel good. Fetterman said his community all understood what happened when he pointed a shotgun at a jogger.

Both candidates attacked their opponent's personal lives and accused the other of lying. Fetterman accused Oz of not paying taxes, while Oz accused Fetterman of not paying taxes.

Oz, the celebrity doctor endorsed by Trump, has closed the gap with Fetterman in the final weeks of the race.

According to averages of recent polls, the two candidates are in a dead heat.

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Fetterman was off the campaign trail for three months after he suffered a stroke.

Fetterman has been attacked by the Oz campaign for being soft on crime and too far left for Pennsylvania. An additional $6.2 million was poured into ads by two other GOP groups that will run in Pennsylvania through election day.

Fetterman's campaign blasted Oz, a wealthy TV star, as an out-of-touch carpetbagger from New Jersey who got rich by promoting sometimes-dubious health information to his audience.

Fetterman's health has been the subject of attacks by Oz's campaign. Fetterman's primary care physician wrote last week that the candidate has no work restrictions and can work full time in public office.

In recent interviews, Fetterman has used a closed-captioning system in order to read live transcriptions of questions. His campaign warned that the use of closed-captioning during the debate could cause some awkward pauses.