Senate candidates Fetterman, Oz debate in PA, Bennett and O'Dea face off in CO: Midterm elections

Tuesday’s drowsy Colorado Senate debate between incumbent Democrat Senator Michael Bennet and Republican challenger Joe O’Dea could be the sleeper race to determine which party wins the majority in Congress' upper chamber.

Compared to the fiery Pennsylvania Senate debate Tuesday evening between Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman, Bennet and O’Dea’s debate was calm.

However, the Centennial State’s Senate race could prove to be the lynchpin in either party’s control of Congress’ upper chamber. Colorado has trended to the left for decades and supported Joe Biden for president by a 13-point margin.

But O'Dea surprised the political world by remaining more competitive than expected in the race, with a Real Clear Politics tracking him behind Bennet by less than 8 points.

Covering several topics, the Tuesday candidate forum — the second of three scheduled events between the two candidates before the Nov. 8 midterm elections — notably avoided the subject of rising crime in America, instead focusing on the economy, foreign policy, and statewide issues.

Read more: Drowsy debate in sleeper Colorado Senate race that could determine upper chamber majority

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman called on supporters to send in donations shortly after leaving the debate against GOP nominee Mehmet Oz Tuesday, highlighting abortion.

"I just stepped off the #PASenateDebate stage. Tonight, Dr. Oz said he wants women’s bodily autonomy to be up to 'local political leaders'" a tweet from Fetterman's account said.

"Let me be clear: I will ALWAYS support abortion rights. Can you rush $10 to my campaign to help me defeat Dr. Oz?" the tweet concluded.

Oz said several times that he opposed to the federal government dictating states’ regulations on abortion, and said abortion should be a conversation between "a woman, her doctor, and local political leaders."

Fetterman, who suffered a nearly-fatal stroke in May, struggled at times to answer questions during the debate. He has stated that during his recovery from the stroke, he's struggled with auditory processing and sometimes misstates words.

Commentators have said the debate, and Fetterman's difficulty in answering questions, was hard to watch. MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough tweeted during the debate that Fetterman's "ability to communicate is seriously impaired. Pennsylvania voters will be talking about this obvious fact even if many in the media will not."

New York's Republican gubernatorial hopeful, Lee Zeldin, wrangled with incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in a primetime debate Tuesday over rising crime and the ongoing surge of violence plaguing the state's citizens.

Zeldin opened the debate by declaring New York was "in a crisis" because of Hochul's leadership, and blasted policies like cashless bail and said soft on crime approaches have resulted in New Yorkers feeling unsafe.

"We need to make our streets safe again. I'm running to take back our streets, and to support, unapologetically, our men and women in law enforcement," Zeldin said when asked about his crime policy.

Zeldin brought up the same point later in the debate and stated that Hochul didn't believe there was a "crime emergency" in the state.

Hochul dismissed Zeldin's focus on crime and bail policies as a political scare tactic.

"Anyone who commits a crime under our laws, especially with the change they made to bail, has consequences. I don't know why that's so important to you," Hochul said at one point, before stating that to reduce crime the state should increase gun control.

Read more from Brandon Gillespie: Lee Zeldin, Gov. Kathy Hochul duke it out over crime in fiery debate amid surge in New York violence

Pennsylvania Senate candidates Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Republican, and John Fetterman, a Democrat, sparred over abortion during their one and only debate on Tuesday.

Oz took aim at Fetterman’s ads attacking him over the issue of abortion, calling them "dishonest" and decrying the Democrat’s stance on abortion as "radical" and "extreme."

The GOP candidate reiterated several times his opposition to the federal government dictating states’ regulations on abortion, including restricting abortion.

The Republican also said that abortion should be a conversation between "a woman, her doctor, and local political leaders."

Fetterman, meanwhile, would not say when he believes the limits should be, instead reiterating that he would support codifying Roe v. Wade.  

Read more from Fox News' Houston Keene: Pennsylvania Senate debate: Oz, Fetterman spar over abortion, Dem won’t say when limits should be

Fetterman/Oz

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman stumbled during Tuesday's debate with his GOP challenger, Dr. Mehmet Oz, after he was asked about prior statements he made in opposition to fracking, a process he now says he has "always supported."

"I've always supported fracking and I always believe that independence with our energy is critical, and we can't be held, you know, ransom to somebody like Russia," Fetterman said.

"I've always believed that energy independence is critical and I've always believed that — and I do support fracking, never taken any money from their industry, but I support how critical it is that we produce our energy and create energy independence."

Pressed on the issue and how to "square" his previous comments against fracking with his current position, Fetterman said, "I do support fracking, and I don’t, I don’t — I support fracking, and I stand, and I do support fracking."

As recently as 2018, Fetterman said he wanted to phase fracking out of the state, and in 2016 he signed a pledge to end fracking in Pennsylvania.

Read more: Fetterman stumbles during debate when questioned about flip-flop on support for fracking

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan accused Republicans on Tuesday of trying to distract voters with the issue of explicit material being allowed in public schools.

Whitmer, who is seeking a second term as Michigan's chief executive this year, said during a gubernatorial debate that Republicans were enflaming the issue for political gain.

"I see how politicians try to wedge communities against one another," said Whitmer. "It is dangerous and it is selfish." 

"Do you really think that books pose a greater danger to our kids and gun violence does? She's trying to divert attention from the fact that she is bankrolled by Betsy DeVos," Whitmer said, referring to the former head of Trump's Education Department. 

"We're talking about pornography in schools. Parents have risen up across the state," said the Republican nominee. "They've asked Gretchen Whitmer to comment and she's been silent on this issue." 

Read more: Michigan Dem Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says GOP enflaming issue of explicit material in public schools

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says students in here state were out of school for three months during the pandemic.

During a Tuesday debate between Whitmer and her Republican challenger Tudor Dixon, the incumbent governor was asked why she had not followed through on her goals for education in the state.

"We've had some historic challenges over the past few years, to put it lightly," Whitmer responded, before pivoting to the pandemic-era school closures.

"Mrs. Dixon says I kept students out longer than any other state. That's just not true. I worked closely with my Republican and Democratic governors. Students were out for three months," Whitmer said.

Whitmer closed in-person learning when the pandemic hit the nation in March 2021, then extended the closure through the end of the academic year.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, who has worked to garner support from GOP voters in the Keystone State ahead of next month's election, previously claimed that the "Republican hard core base" represents nationalism, xenophobia and homophobia.

Fetterman's comments came during a podcast conversation with the Delco Young Democast at the Pennsylvania Young Democrats Convention in August 2018.

Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman speaks to supporters gathered in Dickinson Square Park in Philadelphia on October 23, 2022, as he campaigns for the US Senate. (KRISTON JAE BETHEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking about efforts to engage with Republican voters across the state during his campaign for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, Fetterman said: "There are some in the Republican Party that are unreachable, you know."

"Nationalism, xenophobia, homophobia just overall… I mean, that’s the Southern Strategy, right? That’s been part of the Republican hard core base since the Republican Party made it part of their base," Fetterman added.

Fetterman, who now serves as the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, said at the time that he believed there were individuals who voted for former President Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election who were "reachable" and could be persuaded into voting for him, and that his party has a message that is "unapologetically Democratic" and "unapologetically progressive."

Fetterman's outlook on Republicans has seemingly changed, however, as his campaign aims to win support from GOP voters in the state ahead of the November election.

Read more: Fetterman attempts to wrangle support from GOP voters after he said Republican base is xenophobic, homophobic

Dr. Mehmet Oz and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman are preparing to face off on the debate stage in the race for U.S. Senate, but voters Fox News spoke with were skeptical they will hear much more than "grandstanding."

"I'm not really listening to the charades that's going on on TV," Brian told Fox News. "I pretty much watch people's record and go by that."

This will be the only debate between Oz and Fetterman and is the most high-profile of a number of debates happening Tuesday night across key states.

Oz, a Republican, has repeatedly criticized his opponent for "dodging" debates, accusing the Democratic nominee of either being too scared to "answer for his radical positions" or being unable to debate due to poor health following a stroke.

Debates are "just a matter of them stating what people want to hear, and they're not really speaking from the heart," Katie said. "Nobody ever accomplishes what they say they set out to do."

Read more from Fox News Digital Originals: Pennsylvania debate or political charade? Voters weigh in ahead of Oz-Fetterman showdown

MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, PA Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (Reuters)

Candidates in high-profile gubernatorial and Senate races face off on debate stages in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado and New York and more Tuesday evening, just two weeks from election day.

The Democratic Senate nominee in arguably the most crucial and high-profile Senate election this year is lowering expectations ahead of the one and only debate with his Republican counterpart.

Five months after suffering a stroke that could have taken his life, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Tuesday will share the same stage with Mehmet Oz, the cardiac surgeon, celebrity doctor, and Republican nominee in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. 

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and GOP challenger Tudor Dixon face off for the second and final time in a one-hour debate.

GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin, who has narrowed the gap in the gubernatorial race against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, will likely challenge the Democrat on crime in a Tuesday evening debate.

In Colorado, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is facing a GOP challenge from Republican construction company owner and first-time candidate Joe O’Dea. The two candidates will meet on the same stage for the second of three debates on Tuesday.

Read more from Fox News' Paul Steinhauser:  Debate Super Tuesday: Candidates in top races face off in debates with balance of power on the line

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a near-fatal stroke in May, will make use of closed captioning during his debate against GOP candidate Mehmet Oz Tuesday.

The unusual measure will allow Fetterman to read the questions and statements made during the debate rather than just hear them. Fetterman has struggled to process spoken words as he recovers from his stroke, and according to his campaign that could lead to delays or unavoidable mistakes during the debate.

"The captioning process may also lead to time delays and errors in the exchanges between the moderators and the candidates," the Fetterman campaign cautioned.

"In fact, because the captions are going to be typed out by human beings in real time, on live TV, some amount of human error in the transcription is inevitable, which may cause temporary miscommunications at times. It is impossible to control and unavoidable.

"Pointing to Fetterman’s past debate performances, his campaign argued that "this isn’t John’s format. Look no further than the debates from the primary earlier this year."

Oz, a heart surgeon and former host of the popular Dr. Oz Show, has criticized Fetterman for avoiding debates, and only committing to a single forum before the Nov. 8 election.

"Tomorrow night will be the first and only debate in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race after John Fetterman dodged 7 debates in a desperate attempt to hide his radical policies from scrutiny by the media and Pennsylvanians," the Oz campaign said Monday.

Read more from Fox News' Paul Steinhauser: Fetterman lowers expectations ahead of only debate with Oz in Pennsylvania Senate showdown

Virginia GOP House candidate Hung Cao, running against Democratic Rep. Jen Wexton in a district Fox News' Power Rankings rates as likely to favor the Democrat, sees a path to victory with voters concerned about inflation and education issues.

U.S. Capitol

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., expressed disbelief that "anybody" would vote for Republicans, in an interview with The New York Times on Monday.

The paper pressed Pelosi on "troubling" data for Democrats this November. But Pelosi "rejected the suggestion that late-breaking trends seem to favor Republicans," according to The Times.

"Part of it is, I cannot believe anybody would vote for these people," she said, before bashing Republicans’ campaign strategy as "endless lying and endless money."

Read more from Fox News' Kristine Parks: Nancy Pelosi scoffs at idea 'anybody' would vote for a Republican, in New York Times interview

Mehmet Oz and John Fetterman (Getty)

Five months after suffering a stroke that could have taken his life, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Tuesday will share the same stage with Mehmet Oz, the cardiac surgeon, celebrity doctor, and Republican nominee in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. 

The race in the key northeastern battleground state – where the latest public opinion polls indicate Oz has all but erased Fetterman’s one-time lead – is one of a handful across the country that will likely determine if the Republicans win back the Senate majority in the midterm elections.

In another debate happening Tuesday, Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet and his Republican challenger Joe O'Dea will square off for the second of three scheduled debates.

In Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP challenger Tudor Dixon face off for the second and final time in a one-hour debate.

And in New York, incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul will debate conservative GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin in the state's gubernatorial race.

Read more from Fox News' Paul Steinhauser: Fetterman lowers expectations ahead of only debate with Oz in Pennsylvania Senate showdown