Staff Reports
In a pivotal battle for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has just surpassed Democrat John Fetterman, who is also the state's lieutenant governor, in terms of statewide support among potential voters.
On November 3, RealClearPolitics reported that Fetterman's post-debate support had dropped to 46.3%, while Oz's support was at 46.6%. This disparity is well within the margin of error.
For the first time since the candidates' respective primary elections in May 2022, Oz is in the lead. When Oz had just 39% support, Fetterman once had an 8.7-point advantage against him in August.
Despite maintaining a "Toss Up" rating for the race, RealClearPolitics predicts that Republicans will retain control of the Senate seat now held by Sen. Pat Toomey. On October 5, 2020, the incumbent said that he will not seek reelection to the Senate.When the two candidates faced off in their lone debate on October 25, Fetterman's popularity surely declined due to his performance.
Many individuals claim that Oz sent a clear message on how he will improve Pennsylvania on social media and in surveys.Additionally, critics noted that Fetterman, who had a stroke in May, often seemed to have difficulties answering questions and appeared to have difficulties with auditory processing, which was damaged by the stroke. The moderator of the discussion consented to let closed captioning help him.
62% of those who watched the debate, according to USA Today and Suffolk University, thought Oz won. According to 17% of respondents, Fetterman was the victor.
In a survey done by USA Today in September, Fetterman had a 46%-40% advantage, but a poll taken between October 27 and 30 indicated the lead had shrunk to 47%-45%, still within the poll's margin of error of 4.4%.
In the same survey conducted in September, independent voters gave Fetterman a 43% to 29% advantage, but Oz currently leads 43%-32%.
Fetterman is ahead in a number of other polls, including those conducted by Fox News, USAToday, the New York Times/Siena, CBS News, and Rassmussen.
Although primary participation does not always predict general election participation, on May 17, 2022, more voters supported Republican candidates than Democratic candidates (1,346,091 to 1,284,908, respectively).
A crucial fight for the Senate in Pennsylvania might eventually determine whether Democrats maintain control of the chamber or if Republicans assume leadership.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Fox News.
