One of the most expensive and closely watched Senate races in the country was between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz. The illustrations and photos are from Huffington Post.
Senate race, overcoming a stroke and attacks on his criminal justice record to flip a seat that had been in Republican hands for 12 years
Fetterman defeated Mehmet Oz because of his career as a daytime TV talk show host.
Oz was painted as a rich, out-of-touch celebrity without any concern for the state he hoped to represent in Washington by the Democrat.
Fetterman told his supporters at a pre election rally in Pittsburgh that his campaign was all about serving Pennsylvania. He uses Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump was hoping to install an ally in the seat that would be left open by Pat Toomey.
Oz's victory in the Republican primary was aided by Trump, a former TV star who admired Oz's success in New York City.
Oz faced skepticism from the grassroots right over his past comments regarding abortion rights, gun control, and natural gas. In May, Trump narrowly edge out McCormick after he endorsed Oz.
The general election was more affected by Oz's lack of roots in Pennsylvania than he was by his ties to Trump.
Fetterman, the son of a wealthy insurance executive and a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, was a perfect foil for Oz. Fetterman wore a Carhartt hooded sweatshirt and made fun of Doc Oz.
Fetterman gained strength from Oz's verbal flubs. In an August video trying to highlight inflation, Oz pointed out the cost of a vegetable tray that he called "crudités," prompting a running gag about Oz's elite taste and vocabulary.
Vince Tulio, a Montgomery Township contractor and registered Republican who voted for Trump twice in the past, said that John has been in Pennsylvania his entire life. The man listens to people.
"That's not someone that I want to send to Washington to look out for my best interests as a Pennsylvanian"
Fetterman had a near fatal stroke just days before the Democratic primary in May. On the day of his victory over Rep. Lamb, he had surgery to have a pacemaker inserted. Gisele Fetterman continued to play a larger role in her husband's campaign through Election Day after he spoke in his stead at a primary results party.
Fetterman returned to the campaign trail in August after recovering from a stroke. His stroke affected the part of the brain that makes sense of sounds. He required closed caption for many of the high-profile interviews he did.
It took Fetterman until late October to release a note from his physician affirming that Fetterman was recovering well from his stroke and that his communication issues did not reflect a deeper cognitive problem.
A donor to Fetterman's campaign wrote that he has no work restrictions and can work full time.
The impact of the stroke on Fetterman's communication was clear in his sole debate with Oz. He had a hard time responding to Oz's verbal broadsides. It was a low point when he couldn't explain why he had changed his mind about the issue. He has said that Pennsylvania's success in regulating the industry alleviated his initial skepticism.
Oz and his allies spent months relentlessly attacking Fetterman's record as chair of Pennsylvania's Board of Pardons. Fetterman was accused of suggesting pardons or sentence commutations to release hardened lawbreakers at a time of rising crime.
Fetterman's positions on crime and tax policy were described by him as "extreme." Oz painted himself as a moderate who wanted a balance in Washington.
Are you not happy with where America is going? At the end of the debate, Oz inquired. I'm the candidate for change if you are also.
Fetterman had a good record. A video of Fetterman explaining his opposition to a life sentence without parole for the charge of second-degree murder was used to make it sound as though he had a permissive attitude towards murder.
Fetterman worked to grant a second chance to people like the Horton brothers, who were sentenced to life in prison for participating in an act that resulted in a murder that they did not commit themselves. He enlisted allies in the law enforcement community, such as Montgomery County Sheriff Sean Kilkenny, to convince the public that he was not an adversary of policing.
Fetterman used Oz's admission that he wants to leave abortion rights up to women, doctors, and local political leaders to remind voters of the consequences of Oz's stated belief that abortion policy should be set by state governments. Oz appeared at a Trump rally in Latrobe with a far-right Republican candidate.
Fetterman said that he couldn't stand on stage with someone who was against abortion rights.
Fetterman tried to frame the election as a black-and-white choice on abortion policy, despite Oz's insistence that he would not support federal laws limiting abortion rights.
Kaleigh Mitchell is an academic adviser at a university who lives in the suburb of Upper St.
The article was first published on HuffPost.
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