Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman has seen his favorability odds continue to tank following his only public debate before the Nov. 8 election.
An online-based prediction market, Predictit, offers exchanges on political and financial events that mimic a stock market transaction in terms of the subject’s favorability. Users of the market can purchase “shares” with an actual currency which the website uses to reflect favorability ratings.
The site showed Fetterman’s rank drastically dropping in favorability after his debate with Republican challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz. Oz’s ranking rose significantly after his debate performance.
As of Wednesday morning, the prediction market site currently holds Oz with a $.66 lead over Fetterman’s $.38 approval. Oz has steadily gained traction on Fetterman’s initial lead. The television Doctor is now showing a $.53 lead compared to Fetterman’s $.50 lead prior to the debate. Earlier in the year, the initial ratings following Democratic and Republican Pennsylvania Senate primaries showed Fetterman with a significant $.68 lead over Oz’s $.33 rating in late July.
Following the debate between Republican Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman, Oz's chances shot up on @PredictIt in the past two hours. pic.twitter.com/POJKMpvBUy
— annmarie hordern (@annmarie) October 26, 2022
Fetterman’s health issues were the main point of discussion leading up to his public appearance with Oz. Fetterman had a stroke days before the Democratic Senate primary in May.
During the debate, Fetterman appeared unable to form complete sentences and at times struggled to respond to moderator questions. The Democratic candidate has insisted he was fit to run for office. He cited his doctor’s letter that claimed he was fit for office even though moderators pushed back on Fetterman claiming he had not released an extensive report on his medical history or details on his stroke recovery.
“Overall, Lt. Governor Fetterman is well and shows strong commitment to maintaining good fitness and health practices. He has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office,” wrote Dr. Clifford Chen of Fetterman’s health last week.
