On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was caught on hot mic admitting that Pennsylvania Senate Democratic candidate John Fetterman hurt his chances after struggling through a debate on Tuesday night.
“It looks like the debate didn’t hurt us too much in Pennsylvania as of today,” Schumer told President Biden after he landed in New York on Thursday. “So that’s good.”
Schumer also commented on another Senate seat, which he didn’t have high hopes for, remarking, “That seat, we’re in danger in that seat. We’ll see.” It’s not clear exactly which seat Schumer was referring to.
Fetterman often experienced difficulty in speaking and communicating during the debate against Republican contender Mehmet Oz, as a result of lingering effects of a stroke he suffered earlier this year. Fetterman needed closed captioning to understand comments from Oz and the moderators during the debate.
The Daily Wire reported that “during the debate, Fetterman repeatedly stammered, had awkward pauses, seemed to be out of sync with what was being said, and even had outbursts which included shouting at opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) during closing statements.”
Schumer and other Democrats are struggling in their fight with Republicans over who will control the Senate next Congress, with Pennsylvania one of the races that could tip the majority one way or another. Early polls have increasingly favored Republicans, with some suggesting that a “Red Wave” could be on the horizon.
Odds have been improving for Republicans, despite a dip in polling likelihood after the overturn of Roe v. Wade over the summer. Polling firm FiveThirtyEight gave the Republican party a 69% chance of retaking the House on October 4. On October 24, they updated their prediction, giving Republicans an 82% chance to retake the house.
“Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, there appeared to be a real chance that Democrats could keep control of the House,” they wrote. “However, Republicans have regained much of the advantage they had earlier in the summer. The GOP has roughly a 4-in-5 chance of taking control of the chamber.”
“The fate of the House likely rests on the outcome of a handful of key seats, such as Iowa’s 3rd District, North Carolina’s 13th District and Colorado’s 8th District,” they continued. “Other districts, such as the three along the Texas-Mexico border, will also be worth watching as they have shifted politically in recent years.”
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