One day after first and only debate in the US Senate ahead of the November 8 general election, Pennsylvania Republican Party candidate Mehmet Oz has intensified his criminal policies, launching attacks on Democratic candidate John Fetterman and vowing to make decisions to keep the community secure.
Oz, who was accompanied by former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Republican state lawmakers during a brief stop at the headquarters of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association in suburban Harrisburg, also attacked Philadelphia Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner for the crime rate in the state’s largest city.
“I think Pennsylvania deserves better than Krasner,” Oz said Wednesday, hours after House Republicans introduced a measure aimed at sue the city district attorneywho won re-election last year. “And Pennsylvania deserves better than Fetterman.”
Oz did not answer questions from reporters at the event.
Crime has become a central issue in a high-profile racewhich could determine political power in the upper house next year. Fetterman, who chairs the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, has faced attacks that he has a cushioned approach to crime and accusations from Oz that he wants to release as many people convicted of crimes from prison as possible.
The Oz campaign also launched an online campaign — “Prisoners for Fetterman” — to draw attention to people convicted of murder whose release Fetterman was advocating for, and Oz supporters in orange jumpsuits stood outside the television studio where Tuesday’s debate took place.
The celebrity doctor has already called on Fetterman to fire two formerly incarcerated people, Lee and Dennis Horton, who worked on the Democratic campaign.
The Horton brothers spent 27 years behind bars after being convicted of a 1993 robbery and shooting. Brothers who maintained their innocence for almost thirty years their sentences were commuted by Democratic Governor Tom Wolf in February 2021.
Fetterman – who introduced himself as belief in second chances — called Oz’s singling out of the Hortons a “slander” and a “sad and desperate attack” on those “wrongfully convicted,” describing the brothers as “two of the kindest and hardest-working people I know.”
“We have to right the wrong. Let me tell you, we need common sense again in Pennsylvania and across the country,” Haley said, addressing a miniature crowd of Oz supporters. “We need strength again in Pennsylvania and across the country. And it starts in November. It starts with the election and it starts with Pennsylvania.”
During the debate, Oz – when asked how he would vote on the bipartisan Safer Communities Act – stated that the bill was not perfect. But he said he supports more effective background checks and investments in mental health to combat rising gun violence.
A prominent heart surgeon who opposes sanctuary cities also said there was a “disaster” at the U.S. border, adding that cartels had contributed to human trafficking and fentanyl overdoses. Oz was also quick to bring Philadelphia into the debate, arguing that the police do not have enough resources to do their job.
This week Oz presented plan to fight crimeincluding maintaining cash bail for violent offenders, providing federal prosecutors with the resources to pursue violent and repeat offenders, increasing penalties for certain crimes, and allocating more resources to law enforcement.
“As a doctor, if I prescribe a pill for a problem and it doesn’t get better, I have to change what I’m doing,” Oz said Wednesday. “I can’t blame you and that’s why I’m calling for a more thoughtful approach to law enforcement.”
Oz received a number of confirmations from law enforcement. York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, a Republican, said the GOP candidate understands two elements of the criminal justice system – accountability and redemption.
“He knows there is no one-size-fits-all approach to criminal justice,” Sunday said.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, and Sen. Mike Regan, R-York, also expressed support for Oz and his crime policies.
After the event, Garrity told reporters that she thought Oz had taken the lead in the race.
