More than a month into his recovery, Fetterman is trying something utterly novel in American politics: a towel-snapping virtual campaign of sassy online memes, withering mockery of his opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and fourth-wall-bending television ads and online videos that explode many of the usual tropes of political campaigns.

Fetterman and his team of seasoned but decidedly nontraditional political operatives are making the most of a health crisis that would doom many less nimble campaigns — fending off suspicious reporters, opposition researchers and the usual gossip that can pose dangers to any campaign…

Fetterman’s campaign has thought carefully about how to convey that he is on the road to recovery, while acknowledging that he is not 100 percent ready to return to the campaign trail. His aides are mindful that a major slip in his first outing could raise questions, perhaps even unfair ones, about his true condition.