Democratic nominee John Fetterman claims he’s healthy to run for Senate after taking two cognitive tests after his stroke in May (but won’t release his results)
- Despite the stroke, which he described as a “near-death experience,” Fetterman insists he’s returned to a “perfectly normal” life
- His campaign did not release copies of the official test results, nor did they provide the media with the speech therapist who administered the tests
- Fetterman returned to campaigning last month after suffering a stroke in May
- Since the stroke, Fetterman, the current state lieutenant governor, has shied away from questions from the news media at campaign events
- He has shied away from news media questions at campaign events and still uses closed captions in video calls
Democrat John Fetterman’s campaign released the results of two recent cognitive tests they say prove the candidate has returned to normal brain function after his stroke, as critics begin to question his health.
Despite the stroke, which he described as a “near-death experience,” Fetterman insists he’s returned to a “perfectly normal” life. “I’m getting better and better and living a normal life.”
“I run a normal campaign,” Fetterman told the New York Times.
However, his campaign did not release copies of the official test results, nor did they provide the media with the speech therapist who administered the tests.
Fetterman returned to campaigning last month after suffering a stroke in May.
Since the stroke, Fetterman, the current state lieutenant governor, has shied away from news media questions at campaign events, and he still uses closed captioning in video calls and is a jumble of words in some appearances.
Democrat John Fetterman’s campaign released the results of two recent cognitive tests they say prove the candidate has returned to normal brain function after his stroke, as critics begin to question his health
Oz and his allies nominated Fetterman because he refused to engage in pre-election debate, and finally Fetterman’s campaign this week set a date for him to face the famous surgeon: October 25.
The campaign published results of his cognitive tests for both the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Pennsylvania Democrat completed two tests — the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination (SLUMS) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).
Fetterman took the SLUMS test on July 14. The test asks basic memory questions and asks patients to perform simple tasks like naming shapes or drawing an X inside them. He scored 28 out of 30 on the SLUMS test — any score between 27 and 30 is considered normal for a high school senior.
Fetterman did not detail his RBANs test results, but claimed they were within normal limits.
“How can anyone read a quote in the New York Times story delivered by a campaign spokesman about what a doctor said to someone else?” campaign strategist Barney Keller said in a statement to the Inquirer.
Despite the stroke, which he described as a “near-death experience,” Fetterman insists he’s returned to a “perfectly normal” life
“How can anyone glean anything from a quote in the New York Times story delivered by a campaign spokesman about what a doctor said to someone else?” said an Oz spokesperson
“They did not provide copies of the scores or medical records,” he added. “You will not grant media access to Fetterman’s doctor.”
At a Labor Day event, Fetterman had to have some of his sentences resumed and once vowed that he would defend “the union way in Jersey — sorry, in DC” which is more associated with New Jersey, not Pennsylvania.
Voters seem unfazed by the confusion creeping into Fetterman’s vernacular. A CBS News/YouGov poll released this week found that 59 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania believed Fetterman was healthy enough to serve in the Senate.