Schumer: Georgia Senate race 'going downhill' but Pennsylvania debate 'didn't hurt us too much' - CNN

CNN  — 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was caught connected a blistery mic Thursday expressing some interest implicit Democratic prospects successful Georgia successful the last weeks earlier the midterm elections, but helium remained hopeful astir Pennsylvania aft their nominee’s caller statement performance.

“The authorities wherever we’re going downhill is Georgia. It’s hard to judge that they volition spell for Herschel Walker,” Schumer said of the Republican Senate nominee, adding later, “But our vote, our aboriginal turnout successful Georgia is huge, huge.”

Of Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s high-stakes statement show against Republican Mehmet Oz, Schumer said: “It looks similar the statement didn’t wounded america excessively overmuch successful Pennsylvania … truthful that’s good.”

The overheard comments came during a speech among Schumer, President Joe Biden and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul connected the tarmac of Hancock Field Air National Guard Base successful Syracuse, New York. Biden gave a speech successful the authorities Thursday arsenic portion of his midterm closing connection successful which helium painted Republicans arsenic a menace to Americans’ pocketbooks.

Less than 2 weeks retired from Election Day, Democrats are warring to clasp onto their constrictive bulk successful the 50-50 Senate, wherever Vice President Kamala Harris has the tie-breaking vote. Both Georgia, which Democrats are defending, and Pennsylvania, which represents their champion accidental to flip a seat, are captious to that mission.

“That seat, we’re successful information successful that seat. … We’ll see,” Schumer could beryllium heard saying, though it’s unclear which spot helium was referring to.

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The Democratic person said his enactment was “picking up steam” successful Nevada, wherever Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is among the party’s astir susceptible incumbents.

The Georgia contention was rocked this week by allegations from a pistillate who claims she was successful a years-long romanticist narration with Walker. She said astatine property league connected Wednesday that helium had pressured her into having an termination successful 1993. Walker, who has already been accused by a erstwhile woman of encouraging her to person the process and past reimbursing her the cost, has denounced each assertion arsenic a lie. CNN has not independently confirmed the archetypal woman’s allegations. She has remained anonymous successful nationalist reports.

Most polling shows Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who’s moving for a afloat six-year term, with a humble pb implicit Walker successful the last agelong of the campaign.

Abortion rights person been a flashpoint not lone successful Georgia, but successful Pennsylvania, wherever Fetterman has looked to crook voters’ attraction to Oz’s comments astir the process successful this week’s debate. The Republican said that “local politicians” should lend to women’s aesculapian decisions.

“You can’t spend to springiness a clown a ballot connected Roe v. Wade,” Fetterman told MSNBC’s Joy Reid connected Thursday, adding that Oz’s remark showed “what helium really believes astir abortion.”

But portion Democrats instantly seized connected Oz’s comments successful their paid advertising, astir of the post-debate attraction was focused connected the effects of Fetterman’s stroke.

“We wanted to beryllium and thought it was important to beryllium there. And we showed up,” the Democrat told Reid. “And getting knocked down, I ever got backmost up. And, to me, that’s truly astatine the essence of our campaign, is that we’re moving for immoderate Pennsylvanian that ever got knocked down that has to get backmost up. And that’s truly what we’re moving on.”

Recent polls successful the Keystone State show a choky race.