Now, with about two months until Election Day, that congeniality has faded, with Oz and his campaign recently directing a flurry of personal and policy attacks at Fetterman — including accusing the Democrat of either withholding information about his health or being afraid to debate.
“I have empathy for what John Fetterman is going through, yet it’s still incumbent upon him to be honest with us, about what he’s able to do and either answer difficult questions about what I think is a far-left radical position on a lot of issues, or be honest about the health problems that you’re facing,” Oz said at a campaign event this week in the Philadelphia suburbs, a swing area in one of the fall’s most consequential Senate battlegrounds.
After enduring a relentless stream of broadsides from the Fetterman campaign during the summer over his wealth, celebrity status and longtime New Jersey residency — mostly in the form of online trolling aimed at portraying him as an out-of-touch opportunist — Oz and his allies have shifted to a more aggressive posture, countering with a sudden volley of criticism aimed at the Democratic lieutenant governor.
It’s part of a strategy some Republicans see as a course correction for a floundering campaign that fell behind Fetterman in the polls and alarmed some GOP leaders. Oz is also working to lock down support from across the Republican Party — a challenge that has loomed over his bid since a bruising primary he narrowly won. In the past week, he has appeared at events with Republicans from across the party spectrum, from former president Donald Trump to his ex-primary challenger, David McCormick, to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
“It has taken awhile for Dr. Oz to consolidate Republicans; that’s the first step, and then you have to work on improving your image and then you go after your opponent,” said Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), who joined Oz on the trail this week. Toomey, whose seat Oz is running to fill, added: “Some of these things got started a little later but they are well underway now, and I think this race is right now nearly within the margin of error. I think [Oz] has a very good shot at winning this.”
This week, Oz appeared to try to distance himself from the far-right wing of his party without alienating a base still loyal to Trump. He said he would have voted to certify the 2020 election results, but would not have voted to convict Trump over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. Toomey was among seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump.
The Pennsylvania contest is considered by both parties essential to winning control of the upper chamber of Congress next year. Over several events this week, Oz has sought a more defined presence in the race, after keeping a lower profile over the summer months. Yet not everyone who attended Oz’s town hall here Thursday was fully sold on his candidacy, underlining the uncertainty around his ability to win over base voters and persuade swing voters after a sluggish start.
Kathy Finan, 63, had voted for Kathy Barnette in the primary, picking a far-right candidate who ran in close alignment with Trump’s movement, even as Oz had the 45th president’s endorsement. “I don’t know enough about his positions,” she said, adding that “he hasn’t been very visible to me, so yes, I’m interested in what he has to say, what are his top items, what are his issues.”
At the event, held inside a catering hall in a Republican-friendly slice of Delaware County — a vote-rich battleground that chose President Biden over Trump in 2020 by less than two…
Read More: From texting well-wishes to full-bore attacks: Oz shifts to blitz Fetterman in Pa. Senate race
