Campaign

Fetterman puts up billboards calling Oz a Cowboys fan

by Caroline Vakil - 10/11/22 11:44 AM ET

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman greets attendees — Associated Press/Susan Walsh
Democratic Pa. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman greets people at a United Steelworkers of America Local Union 2227 event in West Mifflin, Pa., on Sept. 5, 2022.

Pennsylvania Senate hopeful John Fetterman’s (D) campaign announced on Tuesday that it would be putting up two billboards ahead of an NFL Sunday match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys calling Republican candidate Mehmet Oz a “Cowboys fan.”

“Dr. Oz is a Cowboys fan,” the billboard reads. “Elect a real Pennsylvanian. Vote Fetterman for Senate on Nov. 8th.”

The billboard also features a picture of Oz from 2013 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys play. The picture was taken from a post Oz tweeted that year in which he said “Doing my best to audition for the Cowboys while we have access to their facility during my 15 Minute Physical.”

The billboards will be facing both northbound and southbound on 1-95, north of The Linc — the locals’ name for Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play — according to the campaign. The billboards are expected to remain there until Monday and represent the Democrat’s latest attempt to troll Oz as a carpetbagger in the state.

“The fact that Oz is willing to sell out his supposed Eagles fandom for clout when he’s in Dallas may be a funny example of his inability to take real positions and hold consistent beliefs, but it’s much more than that,” Brendan McPhillips, Fetterman’s campaign manager, said in a statement.

“This gets to the heart of who this guy really is. He pretends to be a Cowboys fan when he’s in Dallas, but now that he’s running for office he tailgates at Eagles games like he’s a real Philly fan.”

The Hill has reached out to Oz’s campaign for comment.

The development comes less than a month ahead of the November midterms, as the race is seen as crucial for determining which party controls the Senate next year. The Pennsylvania Senate race has at times turned ugly, as Fetterman’s campaign has tried to portray Oz as out-of-touch in the state while Oz’s campaign has drawn attention to Fetterman’s stroke — at one point mocking it — and called him weak on crime.

Oz’s campaign has also targeted Fetterman over not readily agreeing to a debate. Fetterman has said he always intended to debate Oz, while noting he’s had some lingering auditory processing issues from his stroke in May.