Washington, EE. UU.— Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s performance with in-person and absentee votes in Philadelphia and in suburban Delaware County proved too much for Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz to overcome.
Because most of the votes still coming in were from places Fetterman was winning, that meant most of Oz’s votes had already been counted and he couldn’t make up the difference.
That enabled The Associated Press could to call the race early Wednesday for Fetterman.
Fetterman’s May stroke and his recovery figured in the final weeks of the race. The stroke’s effects were clear as he used closed captioning to help him process the words he heard, leading to some awkward pauses in their first and only debate. It’s unclear what effect the performance had on the race, if any.
Former daytime TV host Oz sought to cast himself as a moderate even as he said he’d back former President Donald Trump if he runs in 2024.
Trump backed Oz in a crowded GOP primary filed this year.
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Mike Catalini can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini
