Dr. Mehmet Oz, if he wins the race to become a U.S. senator representing Pennsylvania, will become a "prominent spokesperson for the conservative movement" who will "rival even Ronald Reagan in terms of messaging ability," Rep. Guy Reschenthaler predicted on Newsmax, with the anticipated debate between Oz and Democrat challenger John Fetterman playing out Tuesday night.
"I'm really excited about this debate tonight and one of the reasons is because this is Dr. Oz's medium," the Pennsylvania Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "He's an incredible communicator … I would hate to be Fetterman on this stage tonight."
The Oz-Fetterman battle to replace retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey is one of the most closely watched in the country. It could be crucial to whether the Republicans regain control of a Senate that is split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris voting when there are tie ballots.
There had been some questions about whether Fetterman would agree to a debate, as he is still recovering after suffering a stroke during the primary election, but Reschenthaler said Oz would be better advised to focus during the debate on Fetterman's policies than his illness.
"Fetterman's policies are far too radical for Pennsylvania," Reschenthaler said about the Democrat, who is also Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, saying he "wants to legalize all drugs" and backs releasing prisoners.
"I might add they look at his position on natural gas and saying that we should ban fracking, and that fracking is a stain on Pennsylvania," said Reschenthaler about Fetterman. "These are far too radical for the average voter in Pennsylvania."
That puts Fetterman "in a box," said Reschenthaler, adding that Oz must be able to avoid coming across "like a bully" if his competition starts showing difficulties during the debate.
"Dr. Oz will be able to have that nuance," said the congressman. "He has done numerous town halls and has experience dealing with a crowd with his TV show."
Further, focusing on Fetterman's health issues is a "losing argument," considering Democrats elected President Joe Biden who "hid in his basement" during the 2020 election, said Reschenthaler.
He further commented that he has concerns with Fetterman's plans to use a closed-caption system in the debate, as that could be used not only to give the candidate an advantage but to help feed him answers to the debate questions.
But still, Reschenthaler said, Oz must "show how radical Fetterman is and box him in."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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