PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Democrat John Fetterman managed to pull out a victory in the race for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. His opponent, Republican Mehmet Oz conceded defeat Wednesday morning and released a statement, calling for an end to partisan fighting and a focus on solving problems.
When Oz left his Election Night party, vote counts for him and Fetterman were the closest they had been all night.
“We’ve been closing the gap all night, and we have a lot more ballots to go,” Oz told his supporters.
An hour and a half later, several media outlets were calling the race for Fetterman. A Democrat would now occupy the seat that outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey had held since 2011.
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Fetterman campaign manager Brendan McPhillips said it was a tense night, but the team never lost faith.
“We always knew it was going to be tight, and the last few weeks definitely felt like it was a jump ball, but we always knew we had the energy and enthusiasm on our side,” McPhillips said.
He said, as the race tightened, the last few weeks of campaigning produced a lot of anxiety, but it seems Fetterman's “every county” strategy helped keep him ahead. McPhillips pointed to the Democrat’s higher-than-expected vote tallies in many deep-red parts of the state.
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"That’s a testament to the work that he’s put in for years of just showing up to places that everyone knows Democrats aren’t going to win, and not expecting to win them over entirely, but talking to people, having real conversations about what he stands for, asking for their vote, and respecting the people that live there," McPhillips said. "And that matters."
Fetterman team communications director Joe Calvello announced Oz's concession in a tweet on Wednesday.
Oz may have been hurt, first by a bruising primary that left him with double-digit disapproval ratings to start off with, and then by sharing a ticket with the Republican candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano.
There were a lot of split tickets among Republicans, and there were likely still more who were not inspired to vote for either Oz or Mastriano.
The host of Oz's Election Night party, GOP activist and Bucks County health club owner Jim Worthington, said he thought Oz was a great candidate, calling the campaign a "referendum on Pennsylvania."
"The reality is it’s going to tell a lot about where we’re going to go as a state in the future and what we’re going to do, as far as a country," Worthington said. "I mean, if Dr. Oz, as accomplished as him, loses to a candidate as liberal, as radical, as John Fetterman, Pennsylvania may not be a red state. It’s hard to thread the needle for a Republican candidate to win the presidency if you can’t win Pennsylvania."
Oz, in his concession statement, sounded a more hopeful note:
This morning I called John Fetterman and congratulated him. I wish him and his family all the best, both personally and as our next United States Senator. Campaigning throughout our great Commonwealth was the honor of a lifetime, and I will cherish the memories and the people I met. Pennsylvanians showed up with passion and a vision for a bright future that I found inspiring every day. I want to thank my supporters, so many of whom worked tirelessly to spread our message and support me and my family.“We are facing big problems as a country and we need everyone to put down their partisan swords and focus on getting the job done. With bold leadership that brings people together, we can create real change. As a Doctor, I always do my best to help others heal. That’s why I ran for Senate. I hope we begin the healing process as a nation soon.
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