The race for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat has become one of the most closely watched in the nation, with Republican candidate and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz facing Democratic candidate John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor.
Oz may have recently narrowed the gap in the polls between him and Fetterman, but a video shared on Facebook goes a step further by claiming Oz has already won.
“‘HE LEFT THE RACE’ Trump has VICTORY laugh after Fetterman BEGS to join ‘Trumper’ … Dr. Oz wins SEAT," reads the caption of the Oct. 5 video, which had gained more than 50 shares and 130 comments in two days.
But the claim is false for multiple reasons.
The general election hasn’t happened yet – it’s not until Nov. 8. Fetterman hasn’t left the race, as he has been actively campaigning and raising money.
The 27-minute video doesn't ever actually claim Oz defeated Fetterman. Instead, it's a portion of a Newsmax broadcast that briefly mentions the race.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.
Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
Fetterman still had a 6-point lead over Oz in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll released this week, but that’s closer than the 9-point lead Fetterman had in June. The tightening race has garnered national attention with control of the Senate...
Kolkata: Kolkata Police has been grappling with a fresh challenge since the past week — controlling fake news. While it initially started with fake circulars, beginning with "restrictions" on cert...