ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman said he was lucky to be alive as he officially returned to the campaign trail Friday, more than 90 days after the Democrat suffered a stroke that threatened his life and political prospects in one of the nation’s top Senate races.
Fetterman spoke for nearly 11 minutes, pausing at times as he addressed several hundred voters packed into a convention center on the shores of Lake Erie. It was the 52-year-old lieutenant governor’s only scheduled public rally this month as he gradually ramps up his public schedule.
“Tonight, for me, it’s about being thankful — just being thankful,” said Fetterman, who remained upright throughout his remarks. “Three months ago, my life could have ended. This is the truth.”
He said he might not have survived his stroke if he had been in rural Elk County instead of just 20 minutes from a major stroke facility.
“Giselle saved my life,” he said, wearing his usual hoodie and jeans.
Fetterman’s return marks a significant development in the race to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. The Pennsylvania race offers Democrats perhaps their best opportunity to gain traction nationally as the two parties battle for control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections. The House is now split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris giving Democrats the slimmest majority with her deciding vote.
Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon backed by former President Donald Trump, took issue with Fetterman’s prolonged public absence over the summer.
Oz posted a fake “Have you seen this guy?” poster online last month. He took aim at Fetterman again on Friday in an interview with Newsmax.
“We are doing very well campaigning across the Commonwealth, which is a far cry from my opponent who refuses to leave his home,” charged Oz.
Fetterman’s physical appearance is central to his unconventional political brand.
At 6ft 9in, he sports a shaved head and tattooed arms. He is also an uncompromising working-class progressive who supports the legalization of marijuana, the elimination of the Senate filibuster, and the creation of a national government health insurance program for all — “Medicare for All” in progressive campaign parlance.
Fetterman’s health has been a dominant issue in the Senate race since the days leading up to the May 17 primary, when his campaign revealed he had suffered a stroke. He had surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator, and later revealed that he also had a serious heart condition.
His doctor offered a candid letter in early June detailing Fetterman’s decision not to take prescription drugs or see a doctor for several years after the 2017 health scare.
“If he does what I tell him, and I believe he is taking his recovery and health very seriously this time, he should be able to campaign and serve in the US Senate without a problem,” Dr. Ramesh Chandra wrote.
Fetterman now takes his medication as prescribed, eats a low-sodium diet and walks 3 to 5 miles most days, campaign spokesman Joe Calvello said: “He’s following the doctor’s orders.”
Fetterman spoke slurred throughout his remarks Friday night and sometimes slurred his words. The crowd, which topped 1,300, according to convention center staff, was energized throughout.
Calvello noted that Fetterman still has mild speech and hearing problems as he works his way back to full health.
“He’ll miss a word here or there when he speaks sometimes, or maybe in a crowded room he’ll miss a word,” he said. “Besides, he’s hard as a rock.”
The high-profile Senate race is playing out on television and social media despite Fetterman’s extended absence.
Fetterman, who has dominated Oz in fundraising, has been running television ads promoting his candidacy for months. The Democrat also garnered millions of views from creative social media posts, including one featuring a character from the infamous MTV show “Jersey Shore” telling Oz to go home. Oz is a former New Jersey resident, and this has been a major issue throughout the campaign.
“He is a resident of New Jersey. He doesn’t live here. He is not for us. He doesn’t care about us,” Fetterman said.
He ended his remarks the way he began them – with thanks.
“Three months ago I might not have made it. But now I’m standing right here in Erie,” he said as the crowd erupted.
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People reports from New York.
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