A hot microphone caught Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) assessing the state of the midterm races and Democrats' odds of maintaining control of Congress. The Senate majority leader commented while in a conversation with President Biden as he arrived at Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, The New York Times reports.
Most of his commentary was optimistic regarding his party's shot at winning critical races in the upcoming election. During the brief exchange, Schumer remarked on the Pennsylvania Senate race between Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) and celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz (R).
"It looks like the debate didn't hurt us too much in Pennsylvania as of today," Schumer observed, "So that's good."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Fetterman's performance at the only debate between the two rivals has been heavily scrutinized. After having a stroke in May, Fetterman's opponent has repeatedly questioned his capacity to serve in office due to lingering health concerns. Fetterman has said he is still dealing with auditory processing issues but believes his health concerns won't impede his ability to do the job.
Schumer's candid midterm forecast also referenced other highly competitive Senate races. Democrats are defending their control of the Senate this fall, and their odds look better than their chances at keeping the House, despite several tight races in Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
Schumer can be overheard telling Biden, "I think we're picking up steam in Nevada. The state where we're going downhill is Georgia. It's hard to believe that they will go for Herschel Walker."
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
