Oz takes in Lawrence County Fair, hits at Fetterman's absence

Aug. 20—As Dr. Mehmet Oz strung a wired microphone under his shirt and clipped it to his collar, it was almost muscle memory.

"The good old days," said Oz, the heart-surgeon-turned-TV doctor who hosted nearly 1,700 episodes of his eponymous talk show. "Life was much easier."

On Friday evening, Oz continued to criss-cross Pennsylvania on his U.S. Senate campaign to replace retiring and fellow Republican Pat Toomey in one of America's most-watched races, which will likely determine the makeup of the Senate and shape President Joe Biden's final two years of his first term in office. At the Lawrence County Fair, Oz met with supporters, posed for photos and selfies, talked with crowds of people and observed some dairy cows ready to be milked.

So far on his summer tour of county fairs, he's purchased some goats in 4-H auctions and raised the bidding prices. All of this, he noted, was done while his Democratic opponent John Fetterman stayed home.

"We give you our thoughts and you answer our questions to make sure you're legit," Oz said. "To do that, you have to be out and about. I've done 160-plus events, countless county fairs since the beginning of this campaign. My opponent hasn't been out of his house for a public campaign event with one exception, and that was just for a few minutes and no questions. How does that work?"

Fetterman, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, suffered a stroke just days before cruising to victory in the May primary. He made his official return to the public campaign trail last Friday, drawing 1,300 people for an Erie rally with remarks that lasted around 11 minutes.

In the meantime, Fetterman has used social media to his advantage and trolled Oz — endorsed by former President Donald Trump — with posts attacking his longtime New Jersey residence, multiple homes and a veggie tray grocery shopping trip.

Oz said he wants to bring the online fight IRL — in real life — and challenged Fetterman to debate, noting he's already accepted five invites from media outlets across the state.

"Let him pick the ones he wants," Oz said. "But he's got to show up."

Polls have shown Fetterman leading Oz by an average of about nine points.

"It's early in the session," Oz said. "This election is going to come down to voters judging on how Fetterman and I interact. If he keeps hiding, that's not going to be a good sign for him."

Oz said he predicts a large turnout for the general election. It was announced Friday night Trump will campaign with Oz and Doug Mastriano, the state senator and GOP candidate for governor, Sept. 3 in Wilkes-Barre.