PA Debate: John Fetterman on fitness to serve: 'Transparency is about showing up'

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Fetterman at debate on fitness to serve Transparency is about showing up

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate John Fetterman holds a rally at Nether Providence Elementary School on Oct. 15 in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images John Fetterman, Pennsylvania's Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, about his fitness to serve after experiencing a stroke, saying, "For me, transparency is about showing up," while emphasizing his doctor's positive outlook on his recovery. Driving the news: "I'm here today to have a debate," the Democratic candidate said during the first and only televised debate before against his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz.Fetterman did not commit to releasing his full medical records. "My doctor believes I'm fit to serve," Fetterman said.He added that he's been campaigning in public. The big picture: Last week, Fetterman released a note from his doctor that said he was recovering well from the stroke in May, . Oz's campaign has repeatedly to release his health records.Fetterman mentioned his stroke in his opening remarks, referring to his health as the "elephant" in the room. State of play: Fetterman's campaign agreed to a debate with Oz in September and they called Tuesday's match-up "unprecedented.""There’s never been a closed-captioned political debate in a high-profile Senate race where one of the candidates is dealing with a lingering auditory processing challenge while recovering from a stroke," Fetterman's campaign said earlier that day.The debate featured closed captioning, a request by Fetterman's team. Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.

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