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Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s blue-collar image is questioned by Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz, who cites Fetterman’s comfortable upbringing and reports of being financially supported by his parents until his mid-40s.
Fetterman has confirmed the financial backing from his parents during his time as mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, and said that it allowed him to work full-time in the position for several years.
According to OpenSecrets, Fetterman’s father, Karl Fetterman, gave more than $100,000 to The 15104, the single-candidate super PAC that was backing his son’s campaign in 2016.
Fetterman was hailed by a voter as “our blue collar tough guy,” a phrase that Fetterman has used in ads and Oz claims is false advertising from the Democratic candidate.
John Fetterman, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and Democratic Senate candidate, speaks during a campaign event in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 2022.
(Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Brittany Yanick, communications director for Doctor Oz for Senate, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement: “Here are facts: John Fetterman was living off of Daddy’s money until he was 46. During this period, he failed to pay his taxes 67 times. Now, he’s running for Senate, and wants to raise your taxes by trillions and spend billions more than even Biden.”
ELECTION SPOTLIGHT: DR. MEHMET OZ AND JOHN FETTERMAN SQUARE OFF OVER BIDEN PERFORMACE, ECONOMY
“John Fetterman knows how to tweet, but apparently not how to type TurboTax.com. We suggest he take lessons in between his rush to get from one non-existent public event to the next.”
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
(Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Throughout his time in the political scene, Fetterman has never denied his comfortable upbringing and has been open about accepting money from his parents in adulthood.
Fetterman’s campaign also responded to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, stating that Fetterman was dedicated to public service.
“John has spent his career rolling up his sleeves and fighting for forgotten people and communities in Pennsylvania. He has dedicated his life to public service and helping others. John had a good job with a good paycheck, but gave it up to focus on serving the forgotten communities in PA,” said Fetterman’s campaign communications director, Joe Calvello.
“Mehmet Oz is an ultra-millionaire who lives in a mansion in New Jersey and made his money as a TV star, selling scam products to viewers who trusted him. Oz is a phony who clearly does not understand and does not even give a (expletive) about the working people of Pennsylvania,” Calvello said.
John Fetterman is the current lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.
(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Calvello also mentioned that “John will go to Washington and take on the special interests and lobbyists who have been taking advantage of working people and shipping our jobs overseas. Dr. Oz will go to Washington and just look out for himself and his rich friends.”
In June, Fetterman’s campaign announced that the Democrat nominee raised roughly $11 million during the April-June quarter of the 2022 election cycle.
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Fetterman and Oz won their primary races and are set to battle in the November midterms for the open Senate seat.