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.
“All of my doctors on the team believe that I’m absolutely fit to serve,” Fetterman responded.
He continued, “I 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 don’t want to confront really basic issues like abortion.”
Watch the video below:
Wagner: "There are viral videos, mash-ups of your…vocal errors, the things that they think suggest cognitive decline."
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) September 16, 2022
Fetterman: "I am absolutely fit to serve. I just took a test…that confirmed that I am fully functioning…The one side that wants to try to lie about that." pic.twitter.com/4RmoDKsXng
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, “Three months ago, three months ago, I might not have made it.”
“But now I’m standing right here in Erie,” 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.
Here's the second, less viral video than the first one. I got it from a TikTok. The crowd noise is apparently blacked out but that doesn't exactly change the fact that the man is unable to speak properly.https://t.co/ME31GiNMPI
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 14, 2022
Earlier this month, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board published an op-ed titled, “Beneath campaign nastiness, legitimate concerns about Fetterman’s health.”
It noted, “While 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.”
The article pointed out that his campaign “asserts confidently that he will make a full recovery, and that he is doing the hard work — including speech therapy — to accelerate that recovery.”
However, it argued, “Voters have a right to know whether their prospective senator can do the job — including handling the give-and-take of a vigorous debate.”
Despite questions about his health, Fetterman appears to hold a steady advantage over Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.
According to RealClearPolitics’ average of polls, Fetterman is leading Oz by 6.2 points.
