John Fetterman

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman greets supporters following a rally on August 12, 2022 in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Nate Smallwood/Getty Images)

Drawing Thousands at Rallies Across PA, Fetterman Says Oz Makes Time Only for Fundraisers

"Pennsylvanians don't want to replace one no-show, deeply unpopular senator who refuses to speak with regular people with another," said Fetterman's campaign.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Monday accused his Republican opponent in the state's U.S. Senate race, Dr. Mehmet Oz, of focusing more on attending out-of-state high-dollar fundraisers in the last weeks of the campaign than interacting with voters, pointing out that Fetterman has drawn large crowds in politically diverse communities across the state.

As the Democratic lieutenant governor addressed more than 1,230 people in Bucks County on Sunday, Oz posted several images of himself with a small group of people in Philadelphia, saying he'd drawn "so much energy" in the city.

Since Fetterman's rally in Montgomery County one month ago, where the Democrat spoke to more than 3,000 people, Oz "hasn't held a single public event with a large crowd," Fetterman's campaign said Monday.

Instead, the celebrity doctor flew to California for a fundraiser last Thursday, where tickets cost $5,000 each. Fetterman rebuked Oz for giving a speech at the event while standing in front of a car that once belonged to Adolf Hitler.

Fetterman's campaign also noted that he has recently drawn crowds of 1,043 in Scranton on September 17; 1,025 in Bethlehem on September 24; more than 600 "in the pouring rain in Pittsburgh" on October 1; and 838 in heavily Republican York County on Saturday.

In addition to Oz's recent fundraiser in California, Fetterman noted the Republican held a "small event" in Franklin County late last month.

"Let's face it. Oz is scared to hold events because his team knows no one will show up," said Fetterman's campaign manager, Brendan McPhillips. "Pennsylvanians have no idea where this guy has been or what he's been doing."

"Pennsylvanians don't want to replace one no-show, deeply unpopular senator who refuses to speak with regular people with another," he added.

At his rally in Bucks County on Sunday, Fetterman urged Pennsylvanians to make him the Democratic Party's "51st vote to get stuff done for Pennsylvania."

"I'll fight to eliminate the filibuster to raise the minimum wage, pass the PRO Act and protect the union way of life, codify Roe v. Wade, and protect marriage equality," Fetterman said.

Fetterman is leading Oz in the key battleground state by an average of 3.7 percentage points in the most recent polls.

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