- Chuck Schumer was caught on a hot mic dishing about Democrats' chances of holding the Senate.
- Schumer was overheard telling Biden that Georgia looks increasingly bad for the party.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was caught on a hot mic on Thursday telling President Joe Biden that things were "going downhill" in the Georgia Senate race with less than two weeks to go before the midterm elections.
—JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) October 27, 2022
"The state where we're going downhill is Georgia," Schumer said of Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock's highly charged reelection bid. "It's hard to believe that they will go for Herschel Walker."
Schumer's candid evaluation was caught while he and Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York were huddling with the president in Syracuse, New York, where the president was touting his party's economic plan. Warnock, who remains pastor of the legendary Ebenezer Baptist Church, has struggled to sew up his reelection against former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, a Trump-backed challenger. According to FiveThirtyEight's weighted polling average, Walker is improving as Warnock clings to a narrow lead.
The top Senate Democrat was also overheard telling Biden that Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman's shaky debate performance "didn't hurt us too much." Fetterman is trying to flip a seat against former TV doctor Mehmet Oz, but the race has grown tighter as Oz's campaign assails Fetterman's health in the wake of his stroke in May. Fetterman was open during the debate about how he might struggle due to his ongoing recovery, which is exactly what occurred.
Schumer also said the party is "picking up steam" in Nevada where Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has looked increasingly vulnerable to former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt's challenge.
Pundits view the Senate majority as too close to call even as they have increased the projected number of Republican House seats well past the number needed to flip that chamber. It is possible that the longest evenly split Senate in history could stretch into a new Congress in January.
Asked about the comments a spokesperson for Schumer emphasized the party's optimism.
"Schumer believes the Democratic candidates will win," Justin Goodmnan, a Schumer spokesperson, said in a statement.