PITTSBURGH — Republican state Senate candidate Mehmet Oz held a press conference in Pittsburgh on Friday.
Oz spoke with the media at the Wyndham Hotel in the city’s downtown area.
According to our partners at TribLIVE.com, Oz spoke for around a half-hour.
A key talking point focused on the health of Oz’s opponent, John Fetterman, who has spent the past several months recovering from a stroke. Oz released his medical records last week and has been calling for Fetterman to do the same.
Oz also spent time criticizing Fetterman’s views on crime and crime-related policies.
Oz showed support for natural gas drilling in the Western Pennsylvania area. The candidate listed the possible goal of having more pipelines to carry gas into the state.
Some time was also spent discussing Oz’s background. Oz addressed his time as a heart surgeon and believes it could be an advantage for him in Pennsylvania.
“My calling in life is medicine. And I am proud that I practiced medicine until I announced my candidacy for the Senate,” Oz 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.’”
A key policy that was discussed focused on abortion. Fetterman’s campaign has made claims that Oz is anti-abortion and has the same views as Pennsylvania gubernatorial Doug Mastriano, who has supported the idea of abortion bans after six weeks into a pregnancy.
Oz responded by saying he is pro-abortion rights, and wants to focus on states having the right to choose their own abortion laws. He did not say if his views matched Mastriano’s.
Sen. Pat Toomey joined Oz for the press conference.
“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.”
John Fetterman held a rally in Pittsburgh the following day. Click here to read about Fetterman’s rally.
Oz and Fetterman will hold a debate on Tuesday, Oct. 25 on Channel 11.
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