Pittsburgh's top newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, endorsed Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz over Democrat John Fetterman in the heated Pennsylvania Senate face that has had the nation's attention.
The endorsement came one week after Fetterman, the commonwealth’s lieutenant governor who has struggled with cognition following a stroke in May, had a disastrous showing on a televised debate between the two nominees. Oz has been the more willing of the two to discuss his campaign details, while Fetterman has kept things private, including his health concerns.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorses Oz in contest against Fetterman https://t.co/sBwmPcUcPQ pic.twitter.com/rvEdwERRqy
— The Hill (@thehill) October 31, 2022
“His lack of transparency, however, in refusing to release his medical records is troubling. It suggests an impulse to conceal and a mistrust of the people,” the editorial board wrote of Fetterman. “All candidates for a major elected office should release their medical records, as did Mr. Oz. If you want privacy, don’t run for public office.”
While Fetterman's camp has described Oz's calls to release his health records as “mean-spirited and insensitive," the editorial board described them as "legitimate calls."
“We’re encouraged that Mr. Oz is portraying himself as a unifier who will work with Democrats to get things done for Pennsylvania,” the editorial board wrote. “It remains to be seen whether he can pull that off, but he has the potential to become an influential, thoughtful and independent senator. Mr. Oz is likable, engaging, extremely smart and a good listener. Yes, he can sound like a smooth-talking salesman, but that may be what it takes to get deals done in Washington.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has recently shifted toward the right. Their endorsement of Donald Trump for re-election was the first time the outlet had backed a Republican in nearly half a century as the best choice of commander-in-chief for their newspaper.