Biden is sticking by Fetterman in Pennsylvania Senate race after post-stroke interview row

‘The president feels he is very much capable of doing the job,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says

The White House has said that President Joe Biden is sticking behind Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman in Pennsylvania despite some concerns about his health after he survived a stroke.

The Democratic lieutenant governor and nominee for Senate suffered a stroke back in May before the primary. Mr Biden endorsed Mr Fetterman shortly after the primary and has nicknamed him “that big old boy”, a reference to the lawmaker’s imposing stature.

Since then, some Democrats have worried that Mr Fetterman has not recovered enough ahead of his debate with celebrity physician and television host Mehmet Oz.

But White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stood behind the Senate nominee in Mr Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania ahead of their joint appearance on Thursday.

Ms Jean-Pierre said that while she could not comment on the campaign because of ethics laws, she could speak for the pair’s interactions.

“The president has found [Fetterman] to be an impressive individual who is just as capable as always and who’s carrying out his office,” she said. “The president feels he is very much capable of doing the job.”

Mr Fetterman led by a wide margin against Dr Oz throughout much of the summer. But since then, polling has tightened.

Last week, Mr Fetterman conducted an interview with NBC News wherein he used closed captioning, which some in the press criticised despite the fact people with sensory processing disorders or who are hard of hearing often use closed captioning.

Mr Fetterman and Dr Oz will square off in their only planned debate next week in Harrisburg after Dr Oz’s campaign had accused Mr Fetterman of using his stroke to skirt a debate.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently changed the rating for the race back to “Toss Up” after it had labeled it “Lean Democratic.”