‘It’s ... going to be a challenge’: Fetterman downplays expectations for Pa. Senate debate with Oz

Typically candidates headed into political debates are declaring victory before even taking the stage. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, five months out from a stroke that nearly killed him, is taking a different approach: acknowledging it will be hard.

“We’ve been preparing, and it’s certainly going to be a challenge, without a doubt,” Fetterman said in an interview last week with The Inquirer. “We’re going to be depending on captioning, and of course we do have auditory processing” challenges, Fetterman said.

Fetterman and Republican opponent Mehmet Oz will face the brightest spotlight of their political careers as they debate at abc27 studios in Harrisburg for one hour Tuesday just two weeks before Election Day.

Fetterman, who has recovered well physically from his stroke, according to doctors, still struggles to understand some spoken words and occasionally retrieve words when speaking. The matchup comes as the race, which could determine which party controls the Senate, has tightened.

Fetterman’s campaign also released a memo Monday downplaying expectations by drawing a contrast between Fetterman, who was never a particularly good debater before his stroke, and Oz, who has spent a large part of his career in TV.

“John is ready to share his vision for Pennsylvania, defend his record, and make the case against Oz,” the memo said. “He’s going to be talking about his real ideas to help real people. But if we’re all being honest, Oz clearly comes into Tuesday night with a huge built-in advantage.”

The memo added that Fetterman has appealed to voters partly because he’s an atypical politician.

“It’s why John is going to win this race — even if he doesn’t win the debate,” the campaign wrote.

Oz’s campaign declined a request for comment from The Inquirer but released a statement Monday night.

“John Fetterman is finally going to have to answer for his radical policies on pardoning convicted murderers ... and pushing for heroin injection sites in our communities,” communications director Brittany Yanick said. The campaign’s release noted that the debate was one of seven the candidates had been invited to participate in.

Fetterman said he’s eager to talk about his values but cautioned there may be stumbles. “I fully expect that we’re going to miss some words and at times may be looking for the right word, certainly,” Fetterman told The Inquirer. “But we’ve always maintained that we’re going to participate in a debate and ... people are gonna see what it’s like, somebody who had a stroke that nearly ended my life will be standing up in front of you today to talk about the policies and the state of the race.”

Fetterman spoke to The Inquirer over Google Meet using captions, which he has used in all his interviews to ensure he’s following the questions. He held a campaign event Saturday with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar in Chester County, in which he used captioning.

Tuesday night will be the first time the majority of voters see Fetterman using the technology (which anyone who’s used captions on their TV will be familiar with). It might mean a slight delay between when Fetterman is asked a question, and he reads it on the prompter and answers it.

The captioners will transcribe everything the moderators and Oz say in real-time, according to the TV station. Both campaigns agreed to the accommodation.

The Fetterman campaign also warned in its memo that because captions are being typed by people, there could be time delays or errors in transcription which could cause temporary miscommunication.

The race has largely been about personality, so Tuesday night will be a rare chance for both candidates to answer how they would address key issues facing the state as a senator.

It will also be the first time the two candidates, who have been attacking each other for months, actually meet in person. Fetterman has tried to cast Oz as an out-of-state opportunist who doesn’t understand Pennsylvanians. Oz has slammed Fetterman as too liberal, particularly on crime, and his campaign representatives have questioned whether Fetterman is healthy enough to serve.

How much Fetterman’s health will come up is unclear. Fetterman’s campaign released a letter from his primary care doctor last week that gave him a clean bill of physical health. The doctor also said he’d spoken to Fetterman’s cardiologist, who released a letter in June, and to Fetterman’s neurologist.

Clifford Chen of UPMC said Fetterman “spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits.” He said, “His communication is significantly improved compared to his first visit, assisted by speech therapy, which he has attended on a regular basis since the stroke.”

Oz’s campaign has criticized Fetterman for being slow to release information about his health.

But it’s unclear how much voters are concerned about the stroke. Strategists say issues — the economy ranks first — are likely to matter more to voters, and recent polls asking about the stroke haven’t shown Fetterman’s health having much of an impact on the race. But it’s an unprecedented circumstance in a tight contest where discussion of Fetterman’s health increased after an NBC News interview that was criticized by some for its focus on Fetterman’s use of closed captioning.

Since returning to the trail in August, Fetterman has himself talked a lot about the stroke, partly as a way to connect with voters in a state where 47% of adults have a chronic condition and 1 in 4 Pennsylvanians has a disability.

Debates aren’t typically closely watched by voters, but given the stakes of the race, this one could draw more attention. Moments could get spun off into commercials or get replayed on the news in the critical final weeks of the race.

Fetterman’s team tried to preemptively respond to debate gaffes it anticipates could come.

“We are prepared for Oz’s allies and right-wing media to circulate malicious viral videos after the debate that try to paint John in a negative light because of awkward pauses, missing some words, and mushing other words together,” the team wrote. “John has had a remarkable recovery, but the ongoing auditory processing challenges are real.”