All the well-wishing is done. Now Pennsylvania’s Lt. Governor. John Fetterman’s stroke has been officially declared a campaign issue in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race.
Republicans have a different approach to Fetterman’s health. They are blaming Fetterman for not being more open about the stroke that left him hospitalized four days before he won the May 17 primary.
Fetterman campaign delayed two days before revealing his hospitalization. They then issued a statement confusing cardiologists, and then later admitted that he had a previously unreported heart condition that led to doctors installing a pacemaker with defibrillator. He was discharged from the hospital several days later.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (or NRSC) released a web ad on Thursday that featured news coverage from pundits, reporters, and journalists discussing the Fetterman campaign’s evolving explanations for his health and hospitalization. It asked, “Does John Fetterman have a problem telling the truth?”
The Senate Republicans campaign arm released the ad. It was a stark departure from comments made by Fetterman’s rival, Mehmet Oz, a celebrity TV doctor who wished him well after he was admitted to hospital.
According to an NRSC consultant, Fetterman’s health is being raised for the first time by Republicans. The plan to buy TV media to discredit the reputation of a Democrat with a reputation for being a more than average straight talker was revealed by the consultant. According to the consultant, Fetterman will also be targeted by the NRSC for discussing a 2013 incident in which he pulled a gun upon a Black man he suspects of criminal acts.
Pennsylvania Democrats have raised concerns about the Fetterman campaign’s handling of both the stroke and the discussion surrounding the gun incident. A spokesman for the lieutenant Governor said that the GOP criticisms will not work with voters.
“Pennsylvania residents trust John Fetterman.” Mehmet Oz is a fraudster who doesn’t even know Pennsylvania and is not trusted by them,” Fetterman’s spokesman Joe Calvello stated. He was referring to an attack web ad by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Oz, which his campaign would not comment.
Gisele Fetterman was Fetterman’s spouse and said in an NBC News interview on Wednesday that she and her family were open to discussing his condition. They were trying to “navigate this very personal and difficult thing very publicly.”
She said, “We have done an excellent job on transparency.”
Gisele Fetterman suggested that her husband’s condition was not so serious on Election Day. She called the stroke “a little bit of a hiccup” and said he would be “back on his feet soon.” However, Fetterman remained at the hospital for nine more days. His campaign claims that he is still recovering and may not return to the trail until July.
Fetterman revealed in a statement by his doctor that he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in 2017. This is an irregular heart rhythm and a reduced heart pump.
Fetterman is 6’8″ tall and weighed 418 lbs at the time of his diagnosis. He was also the mayor of Braddock. A year later, Fetterman boasted about his new healthy lifestyle and said that he had lost 148 lbs. In that interview, he didn’t mention his heart condition. He also wasn’t taking any heart medication or visiting his doctor.
He probably thought, “I lost 150 pounds. I’m running. I am now healthy. I don’t have to tell anyone, see my doctor, or take my medication. He’s now got a pacemaker and people are asking questions,” stated Neil Oxman, a Pennsylvania Democratic strategist.
Oxman stated that the Republican attack against Fetterman’s transparency was the best way to discuss Fetterman’s health without appearing cruel. He said that it would be difficult to sell the idea to voters due to the timing and the fact that Fetterman will likely return to the campaign trail.
Oxman stated, “If he is up and running within three weeks, then no one will be concerned.”
Charlie Gerow, a Republican consultant, was unsuccessfully elected as governor in the GOP primary last month. He said Oxman’s attack is “not an indicator of change,” and Fetterman will be more affected by inflation and other headwinds facing Democrats during the midterm elections.
Gerow however stated that everything is important in a divided swing state.
