Fetterman absence raises stakes for Dems in key Senate race

By MARC LEVY
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — John Fetterman has been fundraising, advertising on TV and grabbing attention with snarky social media posts, but he has yet to return to Pennsylvania’s campaign trail in a significant way since a May 13 stroke. He’s in one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races as Democrats defend their Senate majority. But with barely two months until voters can begin casting mail-in ballots, Fetterman is absent from traditional retail campaigning. The campaign has maintained that Fetterman is feeling better and will be on the campaign trail soon. Democrats, meanwhile, take some comfort from what they perceive as a relatively quiet campaign by Fetterman’s Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz.