(PresidentialHill.com)- The most recent Fox News poll indicates that Republican Mehmet Oz is only four points behind his Democratic rival in the campaign for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. This puts him even closer to the lead.
The new poll, conducted among 1,008 Pennsylvania registered voters between September 22 and 26, with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, has Oz at 41 percent and Fetterman at 45 percent. This is a significant increase for Oz, who trailed Fetterman by 11 points in late July.
With 3 percent voting for independent Everrett Stern and 11 percent remaining undecided, neither candidate has a majority of the vote.
A vast majority of 82 percent who gave themselves a 10 out of 10 are absolutely positive they will vote. Among this subgroup, Fetterman is also in the lead by 4 points, 48 percent to 44 percent, according to Fox News.
Most crucially, the poll reveals that voters are less concerned about Mehmet Oz’s purported carpetbagger status as a former New Jerseyan and are more concerned about Fetterman’s cognitive difficulties, as demonstrated by his incomprehensible gaffes on the campaign trail. An 11-point increase from the same poll conducted in July showed that 34% of respondents were highly concerned that Fetterman would not be psychologically capable of carrying out his job duties.
Mehmet Oz’s reputation as a carpetbagger was a concern for 52% of those surveyed in July; this concern has since decreased by nine percentage points.
With 62 percent of the vote to Oz’s meager 38 percent, Fetterman continues to lead Oz in enthusiasm. Additionally, Fetterman has remained faithful to his party, garnering 87 percent of Democratic support against Oz’s 83 percent among Republicans. Republican pollster Daron Shaw predicted that Oz’s strategy for winning would be to mobilize his base.
According to Shaw, “the Pennsylvania Senate seat is still possibly the best possibility for a Democratic pick-up this season.” While Oz has reduced the distance by enlisting GOP backing, he still needs to persuade skeptic Republicans and independents that he can handle the job.
