HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz will meet tonight, October 25, for their only scheduled U.S. Senate debate ahead of the critical midterm election where the polls have continued to tighten.
Voters can watch the live primetime debate starting at 8 p.m in the video player above.
James Crummel will provide pre-debate coverage from Washington D.C. starting at 7:30 p.m.
The debate will be moderated by WHTM abc27 News anchor Dennis Owens and WPXI anchor Lisa Sylvester with questions covering the issues most important to Pennsylvania voters.
Our national political partners at The Hill will provide analysis of the debate. You can read their five things to watch by clicking here. Check TheHill.com following the debate for reaction and key moments.
Fetterman and Oz are seeking to replace retiring U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R) in a race that could decide the balance of power in the United States Senate and dictate the future of President Joe Biden’s domestic policy.
Oz, the former television personality, has faced questions since entering the race over his longtime New Jersey residency. Oz has listed his address in Bryn Athyn, Montgomery County, and his campaign address in Huntingdon Valley.
Oz attended the University of Pennsylvania where he has a joint MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School. In addition, two of his children were born in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Fetterman must convince voters he is healthy enough to serve after being hospitalized for a stroke in May.
On October 19 Fetterman released a letter from his doctor saying the Lieutenant Governor was fit to serve despite continued auditory processing issues that have led to Fetterman requiring closed captioning for most interviews, as well as Tuesday’s debate.
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In this photo provided by campaign staffer Bobby Maggio, Pennsylvania Lt. Governor and Democratic Party candidate for a U.S. Senate John Fetterman fills out his emergency absentee ballot for the Pennsylvania primary election in Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pa, on Election Day, Tuesday, May, 17, 2022. Fetterman remained in the hospital after suffering a stroke right before the weekend. (Bobby Maggio via AP) -
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, right, waves in front of his wife, Lisa, while speaking at a primary night election gathering in Newtown, Pa., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) -
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the state’s U.S. Senate seat, speaks during a rally in Erie, Pa., on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) -
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, takes part in a forum in Newtown, Pa., Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
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FILE – Dr. Mehmet Oz, Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, speaks in Springfield, Pa., Sept. 8, 2022. Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman of Pennsylvania says he has agreed to an Oct. 25 televised debate against his Republican rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz. (AP Photo/Ryan Collerd, File) -
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, takes part in a campaign event in York, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
Election 2022 Pennsylvania Senate Dr. Mehmet Oz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, visits the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91 in West Homestead, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) -
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate hugs supporter Desiree L. A. Whitfield, 56, as he enters his event, in Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Ryan Collerd) -
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event in Malvern, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson) -
WALLINGFORD, PA – OCTOBER 15: Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate John Fetterman holds a rally at Nether Providence Elementary School on October 15, 2022 in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. Election Day will be held nationwide on November 8, 2022. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) -
FILE – Mehmet Oz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, speaks at a primary night election gathering in Newtown, Pa., May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File) -
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during a campaign event at the Steamfitters Technology Center in Harmony, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) -
WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 03: Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate and former TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz is greeted by former president Donald Trump at a rally to support local candidates at the Mohegan Sun Arena on September 03, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Trump still denies that he lost the election against President Joe Biden and has encouraged his supporters to doubt the election process. Trump has backed Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial hopeful Doug Mastriano. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) -
President Joe Biden watches as Democratic Pa. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman takes the stage at a United Steelworkers of America Local Union 2227 event in West Mifflin, Pa., Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, to honor workers on Labor Day. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) -
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, visits Tools 4 Success in Allentown, Pa., Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
Pennsylvania Lt. Governor and US senatorial candidate John Fetterman delivers remarks during a “Women For Fetterman” rally at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2022. – The Montgomery County rally focuses on abortion rights in the state of Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kriston Jae Bethel / AFP) (Photo by KRISTON JAE BETHEL/AFP via Getty Images) -
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, visits Allentown, Pa., Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, takes part in a campaign event in York, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 06: U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) (L) holds a press conference with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz on September 6, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the November general election, Oz faces Democratic Pennsylvania Senate nominee John Fetterman. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) -
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, takes part in a campaign event in York, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz speaks ahead of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
The high-stakes debate — the first and only in the contest — comes just two weeks before Election Day in what polls say is a close race to replace retiring two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. It’s the only major statewide debate happening this year in Pennsylvania since Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano couldn’t reach an agreement on terms for a gubernatorial debate.
Fetterman has grown as a national brand thanks in part to his extraordinary height, tattoos and unapologetic progressive stances. But the 53-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat’s health has emerged as a central issue over the election’s final weeks, even as candidates elsewhere clash over issues like abortion, crime and inflation.
Oz, trailing in the polls, had pushed for more than a half-dozen debates, suggesting that Fetterman’s unwillingness to agree to more than one is because the stroke had debilitated him. Fetterman has insisted that one debate is typical — two is more customary — and that Oz’s focus on debates was a cynical ploy to lie about his stroke recovery.
Meanwhile, Fetterman’s lead in polls has shrunk as Oz’s Republican allies poured tens of millions of dollars into a perennial battleground state that Biden won by just 1 percentage point in 2020.
Fetterman’s allies fear that the 60-minute live televised debate may represent a no-win situation for the Democrat, even if the typical audience for a Senate debate is quite small. Much of the attention will likely focus on how Fetterman — who is blunt and plainspoken — can communicate in a high-pressure situation.
His campaign has acknowledged the built-in disadvantage of putting Fetterman on stage with Oz, a longtime TV personality who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show” weekdays for 13 seasons after getting his start as a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show in 2004.
“This was always going to be an away game for John Fetterman,” said Mustafa Rashed, a Democratic political consultant based in Philadelphia.
A September WHTM/Emerson College poll of 1,000 Pennsylvania voters found Fetterman leading Oz 44.6% to 42.6% with a +/-3% margin of error. Third-party candidates received 5% and 7.9% were undecided.
Nine percent of Republicans (twice as much compared to Democrats) said there were undecided. Independents leaned towards Oz at 45.5% and 11.8% were undecided.
The economy is the most important issue for 39% of Pennsylvania voters, followed by threats to democracy (14%), and abortion access (13%), according to the poll
Follow the debate on social media with #PASenateDebate.
The Associated press contributed to this report.
