Mehmet Oz Predicted to Triumph Over John Fetterman in RCP Senate Forecast (Newsmax)
By Charlie McCarthy | Thursday, 20 October 2022 10:27 AM EDT
Republican Mehmet Oz is projected to win his Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race against Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, according to Real Clear Politics.
Oz, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, will win Pennsylvania by 1.9% of the vote, Real Clear Politics (RCP) showed Thursday.
RCP is based on opinion polling adjusted to take account of past inaccuracies.
The recent RCP-produced average of recent polls puts Fetterman ahead by 3.2 percentage points. However, the RCP polling averages for past elections have understated Republican support by a mean of 5.2 points.
Therefore, adjusted for past undercounting of Republican support, RCP forecasts an Oz victory in the key battleground state.
Voters will go to the polls Nov. 8, when the GOP hopes to regain control of the U.S. House and Senate.
Recent surveys show that Republicans are favored to win a majority in the House, with control of the Senate becoming a more realistic possibility.
Oz and Fetterman have been engaged in a hotly contested race in the Keystone State.
Fetterman, 53, suffered a stroke five months ago that has had lingering effects on his speech and hearing. His doctor says the candidate has no work restrictions and can "work full duty in public office."
However, it was reported Wednesday that Dr. Clifford Chen was a Fetterman campaign donor.
Oz also has hammered Fetterman for his stance on crime. The lieutenant governor once voted to release a man sentenced to life in prison for killing a man with garden shears in a parking garage.
The convict, Charles "Zeke" Goldblum, also attempted to hire a hitman to kill his accomplice in the brutal murder. Fetterman said he was "happy" after the killer left prison last year.
Fetterman also was the lone member of the state Pardon Board who voted to release convicted murderer John Brookins, currently serving a life sentence for murdering his then-girlfriend's mother with a pair of scissors.
Oz, though, said he supports President Joe Biden's decision to pardon thousands of Americans convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law.
The Pennsylvania race has become so competitive that Fetterman's campaign last week said that it planned to put up two billboards before the Sunday's NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys (won by the Eagles) that call out Oz as a fake Pennsylvanian.
"Dr. Oz is a Cowboys fan," the billboard reads. "Elect a real Pennsylvanian. Vote Fetterman for Senate on Nov. 8th."