Fetterman campaign raises $500K in wake of viral Oz ‘crudité’ video

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) raised more than half a million dollars in the past day for his Senate campaign after an ad from his Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz, went viral on social media.

“Fetterman’s campaign for U.S. Senate on Tuesday announced that it had raised over $500,000 since yesterday, when a viral video of Dr. Oz mispronouncing the name of a grocery store, struggling to grocery shop, and saying that the cost of ‘crudite’ had skyrocketed went viral,” Fetterman’s campaign said in a press release.

In a video from Oz posted in April from Oz, the cardiothoracic surgeon is shown in a grocery store picking up vegetables like broccoli and asparagus and reading out their prices to call attention to inflation.

Oz says in the video that his wife wanted to get some vegetables for a crudité, and he blamed President Biden for rising prices that made his few vegetables, guacamole and salsa cost $20 overall. 

“Guys, that’s $20 for crudité, and this doesn’t include the tequila. I mean, that’s outrageous! We got Joe Biden to thank for this,” Oz says to the camera.

Fetterman retweeted the video on Monday, stating: “In PA we call this a… veggie tray.” The Democrat also linked a definition of crudité on Wikipedia below. The definition states that a crudités are “French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables which are typically dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce.” 

Oz referred to the supermarket he was in as “Wegners,” which was a term that went viral with the video. It appears Oz meant to reference either the supermarket chains Redner’s or Wegmans. The term “Wegners,” however, trended on Twitter following the circulation of the April video.

“John actually understands what it’s like to go grocery shopping and to see prices go up,” Brendan McPhillips, Fetterman’s campaign manager, said in a release on Tuesday. “Oz clearly has never been in a grocery store before. That’s why this is resonating with supporters across Pennsylvania.” 

The release states that the campaign raised more than $65,000 from a sticker Fetterman offered in exchange for donations. The sticker says “Wegners,” with “Let Them Eat Crudité” written underneath.