A look at Pennsylvania’s close race for the U.S. Senate

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• Geoff Bennett:

  One of the closest races for a seat in the evenly divided U.S. Senate this election year is in Pennsylvania. And that's where Judy Woodruff is spending the weekend reporting. She joins us now from Kennett Square in the suburbs of Philadelphia. It's great to have you with us.

  And Judy, give us a sense. What are you seeing as you've been doing this reporting over the past two days there in Philadelphia.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Hello, Geoff. Well, the first thing you need to know about Pennsylvania politics right now is that the Philadelphia Phillies are ahead in the running to get to the World Series of just about everybody who pays attention, whether they pay attention to politics or not, are following the games right now. In fact, there is one underway in the Philly stadium. Everybody's glued to the set and that we know that that's competing with politics.

  Having said that, as we get closer to election day, voters are watching, they're paying attention and they can't miss the fact that the television airwaves and everywhere they look are filled with ugly advertising. These ads are coming both from the campaign's of democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. And the Republican candidate who is Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Celebrity TV doctor. Both of them going after the other one.

• Man:

  John Fetterman wants to release convicted murderers from prison. He appointed a staffer who wants to eliminate mandatory life sentences for first and second degree murderers. We all know Fetterman loves free stuff, but we can't let him free murderers.

• Meaghan Reid, Emergency Doctor:

  I've sat with women who've had to make the difficult choice to get an abortion it can be traumatic and life altering that Dr. Oz calls it murder.

• Judy Woodruff:

  So Geoff, Dr. Oz entered this campaign he was seen as an outsider now having spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania, also someone presiding over a very divided Republican Party, but as the months have gone by, he's consolidated the party. He's consolidated his support. Republicans who put a lot of money into his campaign, running these negative ads against John Fetterman accusing him of being soft on crime. Now for his part, John Fetterman says that his record as mayor and as lieutenant governor shows that he has demonstrated compassion on his heart and common sense.

• Geoff Bennett:

  So Judy, John Fetterman, we know he's recovering from a stroke that he suffered back in May just before the Democratic primary. This, as you know, has become an issue in the race. How exactly is he addressing it?

• Judy Woodruff:

  Well, it is the case that this week earlier his doctor issued a statement saying that he has made good progress and saying that he is good to go in effect to continue in public service. But having said that, questions linger. And so this morning, we saw John Fetterman on the campaign trail, he was speaking to supporters in downtown Philadelphia. We watched him along with the rest of the press and the public. Listen very carefully.

• John Fetterman, Pennsylvania Senate Candidate:

  The elephant in the room, you know, we had a stroke back in May. And it really — and despite all that, I survived to be back. And that makes I'm going to fight for you all because I'm back out on the trial.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Those questions are still out there. And not only that, his ability to serve in the Senate very demanding job, but his ability to communicate. And all that, frankly, has centered even more attention on the one and only debate these candidates are having, that's Tuesday night. There will be visual aids something that Fetterman needs. And this debate, Geoff, has become even more critical, because it's the only one, is the only debate that Fetterman would agree to.

• Geoff Bennett:

  The governor's race there in Pennsylvania is also close. It's also contested. What's the latest on that race, Judy?

• Judy Woodruff:

  Well, there you have the current Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is running against a state senator Doug Mastriano. Mastriano seen as someone who is on the more, shall we say, extreme end of the Republican Party out of the mainstream of the party. He is not endorsed or supported by a number of Republicans in the state. He acknowledges Mastriano does that he took part in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January the sixth. He said he didn't go into the building, but that he was there certainly questions about that.

  He argues that Donald Trump actually won the 2020 election. He's taken other extreme positions that Republicans have given a lot of Republicans pause. And as we said, they're not supporting him.

  So that has all in all been a problem, to put it mildly for Doug Mastriano. A number of Republicans not giving him money. They're directing all of the money that they're giving to Mehmet Oz, which of course, has helped his campaign but you put it all together. This is seen as a campaign by an attorney general who have made a name for himself up against a Republican who's very much struggling. Still a campaign but a very different set of dynamics from what you see in the Senate. Right. So a lot going on here right now, Geoff.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Absolutely. Judy Woodruff covering the Pennsylvania Senate and gubernatorial races tonight for us from the suburbs of Philadelphia. It's great to see you.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Thank you.