After Dodging For Months, Fetterman Finally Agrees To Date And Time For Debate With Oz

After months of dodging debates, Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman has finally agreed to debate his opponent, Republican Mehmet Oz, and the two candidates have now agreed on a date and time.

“For one hour on Oct. 25, the two candidates for one of the country’s most important U.S. Senate seats — Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz — will go face-to-face in a televised debate in the state capital,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

“Nexstar Media confirmed the debate on Tuesday after weeks of speculation and back-and-forth proposals between the candidates. Live from the WHTM abc27 studios in Harrisburg, the debate will start at 8 p.m. and be moderated by WHTM abc27 news anchor Dennis Owens and WPXI anchor Lisa Sylvester,” the outlet added. “The host company noted, accurately, that this is the only scheduled face-to-face meeting between the candidates ahead of the Nov. 8 election. It will air live on nine TV stations, including WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, and stream online on numerous news sites.”

The news comes shortly after MSNBC and NBC News reporter Dasha Burns revealed that Fetterman still requires “unconventional” needs to have conversations due to “lingering auditory processing issues” resulting from his stroke in May.

Fetterman’s struggles since his stroke have led to increasing questions about his mental fitness for office. After the stroke, Fetterman stayed off the campaign trail for most of the summer and repeatedly dodged debates with Oz.

Fetterman’s verbal struggles and refusal to debate resulted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette questioning his “ability to serve” last month. The editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Fetterman’s “obvious struggles” with speech raises “legitimate concerns” about his mental fitness for office.

“If Mr. Fetterman is not well enough to debate his opponent, that raises serious concerns about his ability to serve as a United States senator,” the editorial board wrote. “Voters have a right to know whether their prospective senator can do the job—including handling the give-and-take of a vigorous debate.”