Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz will hold their lone debate Tuesday night in the Pennsylvania race for U.S. Senate, giving voters their first opportunity to hear the candidates discuss the issues, side-by-side, ahead of November's mid-term elections.
In one of the nation's most closely-watched and contentious races, Fetterman, the state's lieutenant governor and former Braddock mayor, will face off with Oz, the retired heart surgeon and former TV doctor, for one hour beginning at 8 p.m. in Harrisburg.
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Two weeks before the Nov. 8 election, most polls now consider the race to be a toss-up, with Fetterman maintaining a slim lead he's held since the primaries. This will be Fetterman's first extended broadcast appearance since he suffered a stroke in May.
Which TV networks will broadcast the debate?
In the Philadelphia area, Tuesday night's debate will be broadcast by PHL17 and Newsnation.
For Xfinity customers, PHL17 can be found on channels 17 and 807. Newsnation can be found on channels 191 and 1420. The network has a station finder to locate channels elsewhere.
Verizon Fios TV customers may encounter issues finding the TV broadcast, since Verizon this month blacked out stations owned by Nextstar Media Group, including PHL17 and NewsNation.
YouTube TV customers will need to watch the Newsnation broadcast, since the streaming TV service does not carry PHL17.
On Newsnation, the debate will be broadcast with a pre-debate analysis provided by Leland Vittert during a special edition of his show "On Balance" from 7-8 p.m.
The debate will be broadcast in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, in addition to some parts of New York, Ohio and in Washington D.C., with station information provided by ABC27.
Where is the debate streaming online?
PHL17 will have a livestream of the debate on its website. It also will be streamed in Pennsylvania on the websites of all of the other news stations that are carrying the TV broadcast.
In New York, the debate will be streamed on the websites of WETM-TV, WPIX-TV and WIBV-TV. In Washington, D.C., it will be streamed on the website of WDVM-TV.
What is the format of the debate?
The debate at the ABC27 studio in Harrisburg will be moderated by news anchors Lisa Sylvester and Dennis Owens.
The two candidates will be given 60 seconds to answer questions, 30 seconds for rebuttals and 15 seconds for clarifications, The Washington Post reported.
Fetterman will be using a closed-captioning system to accommodate an auditory processing disorder that stemmed from his stroke. Real-time closed captions will be used to transcribe everything said by Oz and the debate moderators. This is to ensure that Fetterman can clearly read and understand the questions asked and the responses from his opponent. Fetterman's words will not be transcribed.
Throughout the Senate race, Fetterman's health has been a frequent talking point for Oz, who has questioned his opponent's ability and fitness for office in light of his ongoing recovery. The Fetterman campaign released a medical report this month in which his doctored stated he has "no work restrictions" and can handle the duties of public office.
What should viewers expect from the debate?
In a high-stakes contest for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, the race between Fetterman and Oz has centered on crime and criminal justice, abortion, labor policy and economic responses to inflation.
Political ads from the Oz campaign and its backers have targeted Fetterman as soft on crime, a contention that the Fetterman campaign has dismissed as a distortion of his policy aims. The Fetterman campaign's strategy has been to undermine Oz's credibility by pointing to a lengthy history of questionable medical claims, as well as the strength of Oz's ties to Pennsylvania.
Top aides for the Fetterman campaign have cautioned that expectations for Fetterman's performance in Tuesday's debate should be tempered, considering that Fetterman is still recovering from a stroke and Oz has a polished resume on TV, ABC News reported.
"John has had a remarkable recovery, but the ongoing auditory processing challenges are real," Fetterman campaign manager Brendan McPhillips and senior adviser Rebecca Katz wrote in a memo to reporters. "But he'll be open and upfront about those challenges, just like he has been in interviews and at rallies for the past few months."
Fetterman returned to the campaign trail in August and has held a number of rallies and public events throughout Pennsylvania over the past few months. Oz previously had agreed to seven debates, his campaign claimed, but Fetterman had only agreed to participate in the debate on Tuesday night.