Democratic leaders in two contested states are slipping ahead of next month’s Senate midterm elections, in which progressive candidates have been accused of being overly forward-thinking.
In Wisconsin, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is now nearly two points ahead of Democrat Mandela Barnes — 48.6 to 46.7, according to the latest wave of public polls.
In Pennsylvania, recent polls show Democrat John Fetterman falling from a double-digit lead in August to just four points ahead of Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz has risen to a statistical tie in the race for the seat from GOP Senator Pat Toomey.
If Republicans stick with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, along with every other state Donald Trump took over in 2020, they would have to flip a Democrat-held seat to take control of the Senate.
In Wisconsin, voters find both the Republican and Democratic candidates “too extreme.”
In Pennsylvania, recent polls show Democrat John Fetterman falling from a double-digit lead in August to just four points ahead of Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz has risen to a statistical tie in the race for the seat from GOP Senator Pat Toomey
According to a Fox News poll released last week that gave Johnson a 4-point lead, 44 percent of Wisconsin voters found Democrat Barnes “too extreme” — up from 30 percent in August — while 43 percent felt the same about Johnson.
Like Fetterman, Republicans are telling voters that Barnes is soft on crime and spotlighting a position he staked on cash bail in the primary.
In Pennsylvania, Pro-Oz ads focused on Fetterman’s clemency campaign for his time as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. Under Fetterman’s leadership, the number of inmates serving life sentences and recommended parole increased dramatically.
In Wisconsin, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is now nearly two points ahead of Democrat Mandela Barnes — 48.6 to 46.7, according to the latest wave of public polls
Fetterman ran a new ad last week with Montgomery County Sheriff Sean Kilkenny in which he said, “I’m sick of Oz talking about John Fetterman and crime. Here’s the truth. John gave those who deserved it a second chance. Nonviolent offenders, marijuana users. He coordinated with law enforcement experts in almost 90% of the cases. He reunited families and protected our freedom.”
Fetterman, meanwhile, said he still has issues with auditory processing but has otherwise mostly recovered from the massive stroke he suffered in May.
“As you know, I had a stroke,” he said at a campaign event in Pittsburgh over the weekend. ‘Oh, and I’m so thankful to be here today after getting through this better and better, you know?’
“You know, the only lingering problem I have after this stroke is sometimes auditory processing, sometimes. And every once in a while I might miss a word or sometimes, you know, I mix two words together,” he said.
Fetterman then explained his word “mushing” by complaining about his opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz, who accidentally combined Wegman’s and Redner’s grocery store names to get “Wegner” in his viral “raw” video.
‘Let me give you an example. Let’s say I wanted to shop at Wegmans and I’m actually in a Speaker’s, but I actually think I’m shopping at Wegner’s,” Fetterman said.
“I thought I’d buy some groceries, I’m at Wegner’s,” Oz said in the April video, which viciously taunted Fetterman for months. Oz complained about inflation in the clip: “Guys, that’s $20 for crudités and it doesn’t include the tequila. This is outrageous and we have Joe Biden to thank for that.’
‘DR. Oz never stops reminding everyone I had a stroke. Yes. In fact, I’m sure there’s probably at least one person here filming it. Trying to make me miss some words on the video. What an inspiring campaign for you. dr he said.
Since the stroke, Fetterman, 53, the state’s current lieutenant governor, has shied away from news media questions at campaign events, and he still uses closed captioning in video calls and is a jumble of words in some appearances.
In his most recent speech, Fetterman sometimes struggled with a few words and made a number of pauses, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, but showed an “overall improvement” from his last speech in Pittsburgh on Sept. 5.
On Monday, Fetterman posted a video mocking Oz for selling miracle fat-burning pills as a famous heart surgeon.