Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman is pushing back against those questioning his health and fitness for office.
During an appearance on MSNBC on Thursday, the Senate hopeful was asked by host Alex Wagner what he would tell Pennsylvania voters who see videos questioning whether he has recovered from a stroke earlier this year.
âAll of my doctors on the team believe that Iâm absolutely fit to serve,â Fetterman responded.
He continued, âI just took a test, I think it was yesterday, that confirmed that I am fully functioning in the range as well. The one side that wants to try to lie about that. They want to run away from the truth. So they donât want to confront really basic issues like abortion.â
Watch the video below:
Fetterman suffered a stroke in May that sidelined him from the campaign trail for three months.
Speaking at a campaign event in August, he said, âThree months ago, three months ago, I might not have made it.â
âBut now Iâm standing right here in Erie,â Fetterman added.
While the Democrat has returned to the campaign trail, videos have surfaced that question whether he is healthy enough to be in the Senate.
Earlier this month, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board published an op-ed titled, âBeneath campaign nastiness, legitimate concerns about Fettermanâs health.â
It noted, âWhile he has gamely undertaken more campaign events and media interviews in recent weeks, Mr. Fetterman still speaks haltingly and relies on closed captioning to fully understand his conversation partners.â
The article pointed out that his campaign âasserts confidently that he will make a full recovery, and that he is doing the hard work â including speech therapy â to accelerate that recovery.â
However, it argued, âVoters have a right to know whether their prospective senator can do the job â including handling the give-and-take of a vigorous debate.â
Despite questions about his health, Fetterman appears to hold a steady advantage over Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.
According to RealClearPoliticsâ average of polls, Fetterman is leading Oz by 6.2 points.
