Why the AP called Pennsylvania Senate for John Fetterman

Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman was winning the outstanding in-person and absentee votes in Philadelphia and in a suburban county

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Senate (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman was winning the outstanding in-person and absentee votes in Philadelphia and in a suburban county.

That meant essentially that most of Dr. Mehmet Oz's votes had been counted and allowed the Associated Press to call the race early Wednesday for Fetterman.

Fetterman’s May stroke and his recovery figured in the final weeks of the race. The stroke’s effects were clear as he used closed captioning to help him process the words he heard, leading to some awkward pauses in their first and only debate. It’s unclear what effect the performance had on the race, if any.

Former daytime TV host Oz sought to cast himself as a moderate even as he said he’d back former President Donald Trump if he runs in 2024.

Trump backed Oz in a crowded GOP primary filed this year.

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Mike Catalini can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini

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