Reactions to Fetterman’s speaking ability and fitness for office
We ran the numbers: There are 2,220 news articles covering this topic.
36% (807) are left-leaning, 36% (808) are centrist, and 28% (605) are right-leaning.
On Tuesday, just weeks before the November midterm elections, Pennsylvania Senate seat contenders Lt. Gov John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Dr. Mehmet Oz (R-Pa.) went head-to-head in a debate on live television. Fetterman’s performance and his reliance on accommodations months after his stroke have raised questions from within the Democratic Party and from their opponents in the Republican Party about whether he can win out over Oz.
USA Today published a centrist article describing members of the Democratic Party, Fetterman’s political allies, as having concerns about a victory over Oz after his relatively poor performance at Tuesday’s debate. Fetterman stumbled over words and had to take extended pauses which his supporters worried would be used against him in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections.
A left-leaning article by The Washington Post highlighted that, on Thursday, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel mocked the speaking abilities of both Fetterman, who suffered a stroke five months earlier, and Biden, who grew up with a stutter, on a radio broadcast interview. The article mentions Fetterman’s performance at Tuesday’s debate in passing.
A right-leaning article by Fox News highlighted that Fetterman’s allies and supporters, as well as major news organizations such as ABC News and The New York Times, were quick to defend Fetterman, claiming that ableism contributed to the negative reception of Fetterman’s performance on Tuesday. It also highlighted that Fetterman has refused to release his medical records even after a public request by Oz during the debate.
From the center
Fetterman’s rocky debate raises anxiety among Democrats over the future of U.S. Senate
The Hill