Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz sounded off on his opponent, John Fetterman, for refusing to agree to a debate before the start of early voting. The two Pennsylvania Senate candidates have yet to publicly debate, and Oz argues it’s because Fetterman is trying to hide his radical positions.
Fetterman (D) finally agreed to debate in mid to late October, meaning some Pennsylvanians will have already cast an early vote before ever hearing from the candidates.
Oz, however, clarified on "The Faulkner Focus" Friday that a formal debate still has not been offered or scheduled.
"It’s preposterous," he told host Harris Faulkner, noting that he has agreed to six specific debates - including one that would have been held Friday - while Fetterman's campaign has not made any specific offers on dates or locations.
"John Fetterman has agreed to precisely zero debates. He doesn’t have the interest of the voters at hand. He’s dodging because he doesn’t want to debate me."
Fetterman, whose health has become an issue in recent months, responded by saying, "But let’s be clear, this has never really been about debates for Dr. Oz. This whole thing has been about Dr. Oz and his team mocking me for having a stroke because they’ve got nothing else."
Oz expressed empathy for Fetterman’s health issues but refuted the claim and maintained that Fetterman doesn’t want his "far-left radical" policies on display.
"This is not about health. John Fetterman is trying to make it about health so people feel sorry for him," Oz said. "This is about honesty and integrity."
"We should have a senator who is capable of doing the job and fighting for them," he said, again stressing the importance of the public hearing from the candidates before early voting begins.
He also noted that Fetterman has also not answered questions while campaigning.
"Democracy is based on transparency," Oz said.
While Oz sits six to seven points behind Fetterman in the polls, he remained confident and said he’s "gaining rapidly" on his opponent as he believes the independent vote will shift in his favor.
"We will prevail in November," Oz said.
