Obama Cuts Last-Minute Campaign Ad For Fetterman As Lead Over Oz Dwindles

Topline

Former President Barack Obama is making another rare appearance to stump for a fellow Democrat in a razor-thin midterm contest, cutting an ad for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) that started rolling out Friday in what the Senate candidate hopes will put a stop to his plunging poll numbers.

Then-President Barack Obama speaks at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant on January 7, 2015, in Wayne, … [+] Michigan.

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Key Facts

Fetterman shared a 30-second ad Friday featuring the former president, saying the “fate of our democracy and a woman’s right to choose” are on the ballot.

A nearly double-digit polling lead Fetterman held this summer over Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz is now all but gone.

Obama comfortably carried Pennsylvania in both his presidential runs, winning the state by more than ten percentage points in 2008 and over five points in 2012.

Tangent

President Joe Biden has largely been an absent figure for Democrats on the campaign trail. He barely mentioned Fetterman during a recent event in Pennsylvania, where Fetterman was in attendance.

Big Number

$46 million. That’s how much has been booked in ad spending in Pennsylvania’s Senate contest through Election Day (November 8), according to advertising tracking firm AdImpact, making it the most expensive Senate race in terms of ads. Fetterman ads account for $29.2 million of that—the most for any Senate candidate.

Key Background

Democrats have long eyed the open Pennsylvania Senate seat, held by retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R), as the best chance to flip a GOP-held Senate seat in the midterms, but declining poll numbers in close races across the country have left many in the party worried they will not be able to capture any Republican-held Senate seats. The momentum shift has Republicans growing increasingly confident they will win control of both the Senate and the House. Fetterman holds a 2.4-percentage-point lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Surprising Fact

Appearances for individual candidates have been infrequent for Obama since he left office in 2017, but he’s planning a series of rallies at the end of the month for Democrats in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, before campaigning in Nevada on November 1—all states with closely contested Senate races. The former president has turned down numerous other requests for appearances, according to CNN.

What To Watch For

Fetterman and Oz will square off Tuesday night in one of the most highly anticipated midterm debates. Focal points are expected to be Fetterman’s health (he suffered a stroke shortly before the primary and will use closed captioning to read debate questions) and Oz’s tenuous connection to Pennsylvania. Fetterman has repeatedly portrayed Oz as being a wealthy, longtime New Jersey resident who fails to connect with average Pennsylvanians.