PennsylvaniaSenate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, aĀ Republican, may have been the most surprised of all on Sunday when he received the endorsement of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the hometown newspaper of his Democratic opponent, the stateās current Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.
Following a fair assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each nominee, the editors of the Post-Gazette concluded, āIn a race on which much depends and little is certain, Mehmet Oz has shown he is better equipped to lead and deliver for Pennsylvania.ā
The endorsement expressed concern about Fettermanās ālife experience and maturityā ā or rather his lack thereof. At the age of 53, he has served one term as the stateās lieutenant governor, which the Post-Gazette noted is āa job with few official responsibilities, aside from serving as acting governor whenever the governor leaves the state. He is the former mayor of Braddock, a borough of 2,000 residents. Although the job paid $150 a month, Mr. Fetterman could make it, in effect, a full-time position because of his familyās support.ā
The editors correctly noted, āMr. Fetterman, despite his hoodies and shorts, has little experience in holding real jobs or facing the problems of working people.ā
Although the editorial said nothing about Fettermanās apparent cognitive injuries from the serious stroke heād suffered in May, it was critical of his failure to release his medical records.
Fettermanās refusal to do so āsuggests an impulse to conceal and a mistrust of the people. ⦠If you want privacy, donāt run for public office.ā
Surprisingly, the editors raised the issue of an incident that occurred in 2013 during Fettermanās service as mayor of Braddock. Heād heard gunshots and āpulled a shotgun on an unarmed black jogger.ā Although they believe it was āan honest mistake,ā they find it ātroubling that Mr. Fetterman never apologized for it.ā
They were also disturbed that he lied about his position on fracking during the debate with Oz last week.
In contrast, they pointed out Ozās humble beginnings and his achievement of wealth, fame and success ālargely through his own talent and determination.ā
They praised Oz for spending āa lot of time in poor urban neighborhoods, talking to people and, most important, listening and learning.ā And noted they are āencouragedĀ that Mr. Oz is portraying himself as a unifier who will work with Democrats to get things done for Pennsylvania.ā
āMr. Oz is likable, engaging, extremely smart and a good listener. Yes, he can sound like a smooth-talking salesman, but that may be what it takes to get deals done in Washington,ā the endorsement said.
Upon hearing heād been endorsed by the Post-Gazette, Fox News reported āOz called the Post-Gazette a āfabulous paperā that would not normally endorse a Republican.ā
Fox quoted Oz as saying, āBut God bless them ⦠theyāve had enough as well ā theyāre a big paper in Pittsburgh.ā
The Post-Gazette is by no means a conservative publication and in fact, had endorsed the Democratic gubernatorial candidateĀ Josh Shapiro over his Republican rival, Doug Mastriano, one week earlier.
As of Tuesday morning, Fetterman is currently ahead of Oz in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. However, the first poll to take place after Fettermanās disastrous debate performance showed Oz up three points. The result of this race could decide control of the Senate, and itās importance cannot be overemphasized.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
