Could Cowboys - & Dr. Oz! - Decide Senate Race in Eagles Country?
Could America's Team influence an American election? Pennsylvania lieutenant governor John Fetterman appears to hope so, planning to use his opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz's apparent love of the Dallas Cowboys against him.
The Democratic candidate's campaign for the Keystone State's seat in the United States Senate has posted billboards near the Philadelphia Eagles' home of Lincoln Financial Field that label Oz, the Republican nominee, as a Cowboys fan. Dallas and Philadelphia have engaged in one of the NFL's longest-lasting rivalries, the latest chapter of which will be staged on Sunday night (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC). The Eagles (5-0) stand as the NFL's only undefeated team while the Cowboys enter as winners of their last four.
The billboards in question read “Dr. Oz is a Cowboys fan. Elect a real Pennsylvanian. Vote Fetterman for Senate on Nov. 8th.” Fetterman's attack depicts Oz dunking a football over the goalpost at AT&T Stadium, taken from a 2013 tweet where the surgeon wrote that he was "doing (his) best to audition for the Cowboys." In more recent affairs, Oz was seen wearing an Eagles quarter zip while campaigning in Philadelphia over the weekend.
The Fetterman campaign, however, appears willing to work with whatever advantage they can gain heading into Election Day on Nov. 8, trying to appeal to Eagle fans going into one of the more monumental games in recent memory. One of Fetterman's most frequent campaign barbs has been accusing the New Jersey resident Oz of not being familiar with Pennsylvania customs.
"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 obtained by The Hill. "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 Oz campaign has yet to comment on the gambit, which isn't the only Cowboy connection to the upcoming midterm elections: former Dallas running Herschel Walker (1986-89, 1996-97) is also running for a Senate spot on Georgia's Republican ticket, challenging incumbent Raphael Warnock.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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