We've been increasingly focused on this race because it's one of the two-to-four contests that will likely determine control of the United States Senate. On one level, it's just basic math. Each party desperately wants that seat, as Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell vie for the majority. On another level, in my view (and as someone who has not exactly been an enthusiastic Oz fan), Democrat John Fetterman does not belong anywhere near the upper chamber of Congress. Yes, his lack of transparency around his health problems, having suffered a stroke, is an issue. But it's his ideology that is far more concerning than his slovenly appearance, phony working man persona (working men typically work, and don't often mooch off their parents for a big chunk of their income well into their 40's), his health setbacks, or even his objectively poor governing outcomes as a mayor. He's a hardcore leftist, much further out on the fringe than either Oz or the Democrat running for governor (who's up big in the polls). We're actually seeing a number of prominent crossover endorsements -- Oz/Shapiro -- for that reason. The tightening continues, and one campaign clearly has momentum:
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NEW POLL by Emerson College
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) September 30, 2022
PA SENATE
(D) John Fetterman 45% (+2)
(R) Mehmet Oz 43%
Independents
(R) Mehmet Oz 46% (+12)
(D) John Fetterman 34%
? Sept 23-26
? 1,000 very likely voters
? Sample: D41/R36/I23https://t.co/rpQBBmAOXJ pic.twitter.com/bZ8gg5vcnK
Pennsylvania Senate Polling Trends
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) September 30, 2022
Fox: Fetterman +11 --> Fetterman +4
F&M: Fetterman +13 --> Fetterman +4
Trafalgar: Fetterman +4 --> Fetterman +2
Emerson: Fetterman +4 --> Fetterman +2
? Average: 5 point polling shift towards Dr. Oz from August pic.twitter.com/O7lJxYJcOp
Fetterman has lacked the wherewithal to respond effectively to some of the powerful critiques against him, partly due to his health struggles, but also because his record is what it is. Now that he's losing ground in public opinion surveys, Fetterman's campaign is trying to run away from his long established record of being exceptionally soft on crime. They're trying to deny things that he's said out loud, on tape, hoping that Democratic groups like Politifact will keep debasing themselves by running cover for their candidate. Team Fetterman also making eyebrow-raising moves like this:
Amid criticism for being soft on crime, Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman removed a reference to Black Lives Matter on his campaign website. Archived versions show a section under the “issues” category that touted his commitment to BLM...His campaign said the section was removed during an overhaul of the campaign site...In the last several years Fetterman has taken a strong stand in support of BLM. As Julio reported, he even downplayed or excused the destructive riots that ensued after George Floyd’s death in 2020.
With crime percolating as a top issue -- it's gotten especially bad in Philadelphia, where the Soros-backed, pro-criminal District Attorney is attempting to blame Trump and conservatives for his own historic and deadly failures (read this thread) -- Oz is pressing the case aggressively:
MUST WATCH: @DrOz brutally dissects John Fetterman's radical record of releasing convicted murderers from prison. pic.twitter.com/3tuSs5Lr8J
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 29, 2022
Perhaps Fetterman's shockingly lax attitudes on crime and justice, and his politically calculated (but maybe expiring) full embrace of BLM, is an overcompensation for this episode:
Recommended
Remember when John Fetterman thought he heard gunshots, hopped in his truck, came across a random, innocent black guy who was simply jogging, chased him down, pointed a shotgun at him, and then lied about pointing the shotgun at him? pic.twitter.com/GGRbkNzgea
— Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) September 12, 2022
I'll leave you with a man who desperately wants to be president echoing Philly's DA and spinning that rampant crime is actually a Republican problem, or something:
What data someone chooses to focus on can lead to very different conclusions. For example:
— AG (@AGHamilton29) September 29, 2022
- 10 of the 10 cities with the highest murder rate are run by Democrats
- California has the 5th highest tax burden of any state in the country https://t.co/mrnTwJRyLn
Krasner says 8/10 most dangerous cities in America are "Trump cities."
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 29, 2022
The most dangerous cities in America in 2022 were Detroit, Memphis, Birmingham, Baltimore, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Little Rock, Milwaukee, and Stockton.
Only one of them has a Republican mayor.
