In a fight between a Paul Bunyan-like common man and a famous doctor, the doctor could appear as the responsible candidate. And Dr. Oz will know how to sell it, said Samantha Majic, a political scientist at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who studies style and celebrity in politics.
“Celebrity in the modern sense is someone who is known, highly produced, managed and in the media, but they are also marketed, they use their celebrity to sell,” Professor Majic said. He added: “As campaigns get more expensive, you have to have celebrity capital to turn them into financial capital. You have to stand out.”
Among Democrats and many independents in Pennsylvania, Mr. Fetterman is popular. A poll by Franklin & Marshall College just before the primary, and before its stroke, found that 67 percent of Democratic voters viewed it favorably, well above the 46 percent who felt affectionate for their main opponent. Representative Conor Lamb.
Berwood A. Yost, director of the Franklin & Marshall Opinion Research Center, said that given the 52-year-old Democratic nominee, his health problems “could make Fetterman even more so. identifiable “. class person, and you have some scars to show, right? “He said.” It’s one more contrast between the two candidates. I mean, the contrast couldn’t be more pronounced. “
And a comeback from a health setback is not uncommon. Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent whose progressive policy is similar to that of Mr. Fetterman suffered a heart attack in late 2019, with the presidential primary season approaching, and he barely skipped a beat.
But Mr. Fetterman will be out of the campaign for a while.
“Doctors have told me I need to keep resting, eating healthy, exercising and focusing on my recovery, and that’s exactly what I’m doing,” he said in a statement. He added: “It’s frustrating, even more so because it’s my fault, but suffer with me, I need a little more time. I haven’t gotten back to 100 percent yet, but I’m getting closer every day.”
Mr. Rebecca Katz, strategist Fetterman flatly denied that the campaign had been keeping its status hidden. Campaign officials announced he needed a pacemaker as soon as they found out, and the campaign released Friday’s statement as soon as the doctor gave him permission, he said. Democratic officials had been so concerned that there was talk of hiring a new candidate, gossip that she pushed forward.