In an indication of the occasions, their marketing campaign often performed out on-line in a war of memes, amongst them a viral video of Oz wandering via a grocery retailer shopping for elements for crudité. (Oz later referred to as it a joke.)
However the Democrat’s marketing campaign was thrown a curveball when Fetterman suffered a stroke in Might, returning to the path in August. Shortly after he did, Oz’s marketing campaign put out statements making a problem out of Fetterman’s food regimen and accusing him of being unable to debate.
Oz appeared to distance himself from the assaults, telling NBC Information that he wouldn’t use that rhetoric a few affected person. And Fetterman moved to attempt to handle public issues about his well being, releasing an advert on the difficulty and medical experiences.
The 2 in the end had their first, and solely, debate on Oct. 25, the place Fetterman visibly stumbled with solutions to some questions in a second that left some Democrats wincing.
Fetterman in his victory speech repeated a line he had deployed over the past two weeks in response to questions on his debate efficiency.
“This marketing campaign has at all times been about combating for everybody who’s ever been gotten knocked down and ever gotten again up,” he stated, to applause.
Pennsylvania was one in all six open seats Republicans had been enjoying protection on this 12 months as Minority Chief Mitch McConnell noticed a secure of his members, and a few of his most dependable allies, head for the exits.
Katy O’Donnell contributed to this report.