Oz tells Pittsburgh press conference Fetterman should be more transparent in his Senate campaign

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz called for more transparency in the campaign, saying he is open to answering questions from the public and the press, and claimed that his opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, is not.

At a half-hour press conference at the Wyndham Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, Oz took six questions for less than 15 minutes. He was asked about a range of issues from crime to Western Pennsylvania policies to abortion.

He answered each question at length, but dodged one follow-up on abortion asked by the Tribune-Review.

Oz, who released his health records last week, said that Fetterman should release his medical records, agree to more debates, and take questions from the press and the public.

“Over these last 38 days, the voters of Pennsylvania deserve better,” Oz said.

Fetterman has been open about his struggles with auditory processing during his recovery from a stroke he suffered in May. He has completed some sit-down interviews with TV news in Pennsylvania and national publications in September, but has not held a press conference this month.

Oz was joined by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh, who praised Oz for having a positive vision for Pennsylvania. Both men also spent time criticizing Fetterman, claiming that Fetterman was too extreme for Pennsylvania, and attacking him over his criminal justice reform policies.

“We have 50 different states. I probably couldn’t get elected to Senate in Vermont. Bernie Sanders can’t get elected in Pennsylvania,” Toomey said. “John Fetterman aligns himself with the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party. That is who he is. … That is not a fit for Pennsylvania.”

Fetterman campaign spokesman Joe Calvello called the press conference “desperate lying and mudslinging” from Oz and his allies.

“Once again, Oz could not even muster up enough supporters to do a public event in Pittsburgh, because he knows no real voters would show up to hear him speak,”Calvello said.

At the press conference, Oz said he is open to answering tough questions and promised to speak with more members of the press moving forward.

He spoke about his support for more natural gas drilling in Western Pennsylvania, more pipelines to carry gas across the state, and a Liquified Natural Gas facility off the East Coast to help transfer that gas overseas. He said he wants to also build up green energy, but said that natural gas could serve as a bridge to renewables.

Oz spoke about his background as a heart surgeon, framing his campaign as one that would seek change and shake up the system.

“My calling in life is medicine. And I am proud that I practiced medicine until I announced my candidacy for the Senate,” he said. “And I believe that kind of attitude gets a lot of Pennsylvanians to say ‘you know what, let’s give a guy who wants change, with a background that’s different from the typical one a chance.’”

When asked about a proposed 15-week national abortion ban, something that the Fetterman campaign has been pressing him on, Oz said he has been clear that he is “pro-life” with the exception of the life of the mother, rape, and incest. But he said that abortion laws should be left up to the states, not the federal government.

“I feel strongly, and I am on the record having said this many times, that the federal government should not be interfering with how states have made this decision,” he said. “I trust local medicine (and) local values to drive these difficult decisions.”

Later, the Tribune-Review asked Oz if he would support abortion law proposals from state Republicans like gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano who have supported statewide “heartbeat abortion” bans that would ban abortions at about six weeks into a pregnancy.

Oz dodged the question and took another question from a local reporter saying, “I just want to make sure to get everyone else. I am just trying to be fair.”

Oz ended the press conference and didn’t return to the abortion issue.

Asked about 15-week national abortion ban, Oz reiterated he's "pro-life" w/ exceptions for mother's health, rape & incest, but didn't say how he'd vote. Said abortion laws should be up to states. He later dodged a follow-up asking about a Mastriano-led push to outlaw PA abortions https://t.co/2uYogBLlac

— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) September 30, 2022

The visit comes on the heels of former Republican Gov. Tom Ridge endorsing Oz, and the celebrity surgeon consolidating some support from the establishment ring of the Republican Party.

According to a recent Fox News poll, Democratic candidate John Fetterman leads the Senate race with 48% of support compared to 44% for Oz. This is several points closer than the last Fox News poll from the summer, but Oz is still suffering from what pollsters call “an enthusiasm gap.”

While 61% of Fetterman supporters are enthusiastic to support him, only 38% are enthusiastically supporting Oz.

Fetterman is holding a rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday.