Fetterman beats Oz, flips Pennsylvania Senate seat for Democrats, networks project

Fetterman defeated Oz in the race to fill Pennsylvania's open Senate seat. It's more difficult for Republicans to flip the Senate now that they've won.

Fetterman led in polling most of the year but had seen the race narrow to a dead heat as Republicans battered him on crime and questioned his ability to serve. Fetterman returned to the trail in August and was suffering from hearing issues which caused him to miss words and struggle at his only debate with Oz.

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Fetterman was not sure what to say at the victory rally. Thank you so much, I'm so grateful. I would like to thank you. You're still here in the morning, right? We launched this campaign over two years ago and our slogan is "every county, every vote."

In the wake of the 2020 election, he pushed back on baseless claims of voter fraud in the state via social media and cable news. Fetterman was aided by a unique aesthetic to modern American politics: Nearing 7 feet in height, shunning suits for hoodies and athletic shorts, and sporting a bald head.

Fetterman won the primary despite having a stroke that required him to have a pacemaker and a defibrillated on the day of the election.

Fetterman's plan was to visit every Pennsylvania county, even the rural ones that Republicans had been winning in large numbers. He thought that those visits would motivate the local Democrats to get more involved in the campaign.

The legalization of marijuana was one of the key planks in Fetterman's campaign platform.

Fetterman has promised to break the legislative filibuster in the Senate since the beginning of his campaign. He said he supported codifying abortion rights, gun safety laws, and labor unions. While defending his work on criminal justice reform and the Pennsylvania Board of Parolens, he reversed himself on his previous opposition to the use of energy-extraction methods.

Oz moved from New Jersey to run for the seat in the state where he attended medical and business school. Fetterman's campaign painted his opponent as a carpetbagger who was spending millions of his own money to get a seat in the Senate.

The endorsement of Donald Trump helped Oz win the primary. He was criticized for his positions on issues such as reproductive rights and gun regulations while trying to pitch himself as a moderate in the general election.