Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman is not backing down from his meme offensive.
Even as the race tightens and Mr Fetterman faces a surge of attacks from Fox News hosts and other GOP-aligned sources, the brash lieutenant governor is pressing on with his efforts to paint his opponent as a carpetbagging New Jerseyan.
The latest salvo from Mr Fetterman comes in the form of a billboard placed outside of Lincoln Financial Field in south Philadelphia. The message, viewable from I-95, declares that his opponent Dr Mehmet Oz is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys (rivals of Philadelphia’s Eagles) and urges voters to “elect a real Pennsylvanian”.
The billboard is the latest example of a long-running effort by Mr Fetterman’s campaign to depict the celebrity TV Dr Oz as an out-of-touch Hollywood star who is only running for the Senate to boost his own profile.
While many of those ribbings have been light-hearted, the campaign has taken a tougher edge against the products and treatments that the TV doc previously espoused as “miracles” on his long-running and sometimes controversial health-themed daytime talk show.
Polls have shown the race in Pennsylvania tightening. Mr Fetterman, battling back from a stroke he suffered days before winning his primary election, has faced an unrelenting barrage of attacks from Dr Oz’s campaign and a wider arc of conservative media personalities ranging from honest questions about his ability to serve to downright hateful attacks, including an angry response from Dr Oz’s own spokeswoman suggesting that Mr Fetterman’s stroke occurred because of his eating habits. Republicans have also accused the Democratic candidate of being “pro-murder” due to his hiring of two men cleared of their wrongful murder convictions via unanimous vote by a state board.
The ugliness of the race underscores the importance of the seat itself, currently held by retiring GOP Senator Pat Toomey. Republicans see Pennsylvania as the most likely arena for Democrats to further solidify their Senate majority, and are therefore going all-out to defeat Mr Fetterman.
Mr Fetterman’s race has also inspired avid out-of-state support for his candidacy due to the strength of his Twitter game as well as a vow to help progressives in the Senate modify the filibuster should he be elected.
