Fetterman Camp Strikes Gold With Dr. Oz's Crudite Video

Oz's attempt to appear relatable to voters may have backfired
By Mike L. Ford,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 17, 2022 10:45 AM CDT

John Fetterman's Pennsylvania Senate campaign says it raised a half-million bucks on Tuesday thanks to a video produced months ago by Republican rival Dr. Mehmet Oz. Back in April, in an apparent attempt to relate to fellow Americans, Oz posted a video of himself grocery shopping and castigating Joe Biden over high food prices, per the Hill. On Monday, Fetterman—who suffered a stroke in May and only recently returned to the campaign trail—apparently spotted an opportunity and retweeted the video, which immediately went viral. Fetterman's campaign has since had a field day with the 38-second spot, in which Oz bungled the name of the store he was shopping for "crudite" at. "In PA we call this a ... veggie tray," quipped Fetterman in reposting the video.

The spot opens with Oz saying, "I'm at Wegner's, and my wife wants some vegetables for crudite, right?" He proceeds to grab a head of broccoli and some asparagus and calls out the prices (apparently unaware that the items are sold by the pound). He then grabs some nearby guacamole and fresh salsa (for which he reads the wrong price tag). "Guys, that's $20 for crudite," Oz concludes, "and this doesn't include the tequila." As gleeful commenters pointed out, there is no "Wegner's" in Pennsylvania, although there is a Wegmans and a Redner's.

And as "crudite" rocketed to the top of Google searches, many were left wondering whether broccoli, asparagus, guac, salsa, and tequila really make for a good snacking experience. Fetterman's campaign says it raised $500,000 over the course of the day, including $65,000 raised from stickers that say, "Let Them Eat Crudite." New York Magazine was left with a slew of questions, among them, "Do people even know what 'crudites' are?" (Fetterman also tweeted the definition of the word for those who don't.) Per the Real Clear Politics polling average, Fetterman currently leads Oz by 8.7 points. (More John Fetterman stories.)

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