In Pennsylvania, the exciting senatorial elections resulted in a victory for Democrat John Fetterman. Fetterman is a striking figure: the six-foot tattooed mayor of a small town usually appears in a hoodie and shorts. He initially did very well in the polls, until a few months ago he suffered a stroke which affected his ability to speak.
His Republican rival is Mehmet Oz, a former heart surgeon who rose to fame as “Dr. Oz” TV host. He’s only too happy to draw attention to Fetterman’s health issues. Fetterman hit back hard during the campaign, calling Oz a charlatan and even accusing him of killing puppies. It was tough against tough in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is traditionally a oscillating state or a battle state: voter preference varies, sometimes the Republican candidate wins, sometimes the Democrat. In the two previous presidential elections, the gap between the candidates was barely 1% here: in 2016 Trump won, in 2020 Biden. Fetterman has now succeeded in stealing a Senate seat from the Republicans for the state of Pennsylvania.