An NBC News interview this week with Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman (D) is drawing more scrutiny over the contender's health amid his recovery from a stroke he suffered in May.
When NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns mentioned during a segment that "in small talk before the interview without captioning, it wasn't clear he was understanding our conversation," it set off a flurry of remarks from Democrats and Republicans. Burns had noted it did not mean he was cognitively impaired and mentioned that he understood her questions when closed captioning was turned on.
The response: While Democrats came to Fetterman's defense to suggest that he was capable of being able to make small talk with them or that the stroke would not negatively impact the job he could do as senator, Republicans that spoke to The Hill's Julia Manchester argue that the interview raises fair questions about what Fetterman is capable of handling.
"It highlights why unfortunately there are legitimate questions about whether or not he'll be up to the job," veteran Republican strategist Doug Heye told Julia.
Democrats believe that - amid pressure from Republican contender Mehmet Oz's campaign and even editorial boards to release his health records - Fetterman is being transparent by doing long interviews with reporters.
"The word that keeps coming into my head is honest," T.J. Rooney, the former chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, told Julia. "The forthcoming nature of how he conducted himself is kind of true to who he's been."
Road ahead: The swirling questions around Fetterman's health come as he and Oz are scheduled to participate in a 60-minute debate later this month, seen as a test of how well the Democrat can fare during an extensive engagement. The debate will also test how well Oz can perform on his own.
The Pennsylvania Senate race has turned into one of the most closely watched elections of this cycle, which Democrats see as one of their best pickup opportunities in a key battleground state.
While polls have shown Fetterman leading Oz, recent surveys have reflected that the gap is closing. And in a sign of just how much of an unknown this Senate race is, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved its previous rating of the seat from "lean Democrat" back to "toss up."
No comments:
Post a Comment