BetOnline Pulls PA Odds Following Debate Debacle (Now Updated)

Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is lucky to have survived after suffering a stroke in the early summer.  While mostly recovered, Fetterman still has difficulties speaking, and this came across in Tuesday night's highly anticipated debate.

Fetterman, the Democrat candidate, went up against Mehmet Oz, the Republican.

Topics included crime, abortion and the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, which is nearly half that of some neighboring states.

And then there was the subject of energy production.

Fetterman was grilled on his contradictory stance regarding fracking. 

"I've always supported fracking and I always believe that independence with our energy is critical, and we can't be held, you know, ransom to somebody like Russia," Fetterman said. "I've always believed that energy independence is critical and I've always believed that — and I do support fracking, never taken any money from their industry, but I support how critical it is that we produce our energy and create energy independence."

But the debate moderators pointed to a quote he offered in 2018 claiming he was completely against fracking.  Fetterman could not offer an explanation for the change in position.

What a disastrous answer. My gosh.pic.twitter.com/Jnefd75Yxs

— Matt Gorman (@mattsgorman) October 26, 2022

It's not immediately known how Pennsylvania voters will respond, but BetOnline did have to pull its odds on the PA Senate race.  Earlier in the day Tuesday, the decades old sports betting site had offered Oz at -160 odds and Fetterman at Even.  By Wednesday morning, odds were set at Oz -230 and Fetterman +160.

Many on Twitter were not particularly kind towards Fetterman.

Greg Gutfield of Fox News tweeted:

"The painful and groping performance of Fetterman will not be as important as the painful and groping performance of the circle-the-wagons media...starting right now."

But there will be those who sympathize.  Case in point, Kyla in the Burgh tweeted:

"Mehmet Oz looked a stroke survivor in the face & mocked him by rudely saying "obviously I wasn't clear enough for you to understand this". I will never vote for an asshole like that. I'm voting for John Fetterman who will fight for the people of Pennsylvania."

When asked if he would release his medical history, Fetterman said he would not.

"My doctor ... believes that I am fit to be serving, and that's what I believe is where I am standing," he said.

The lieutenant governor's impairment did not get in the way of Fetterman taking shots at Oz.  At one point, he shouted out while Oz was speaking that the former TV doctor wanted to take social security away from the elderly.

Fetterman offered his closing statement.

"My campaign is all about fighting for anyone in PA who got knocked down and had to get back up again. I’m fighting for every forgotten community across Pennsylvania. I’m fighting for YOU."

Oz offered his.

“I’m a surgeon. I’m not a politician. We take big problems. We focus on them and we fix them. We do it by uniting by coming together, not dividing."

He added: “If you take what I’m saying to heart, ask yourself this and others in your family, are you unhappy with where America is headed?”

This article was originally published on October 25, 2022 and updated at 12:18 pm ET on October 26, 2022

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com