During a conversation with President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed some concern Thursday over Democratic prospects in Georgia in the final weeks before the midterm elections, but he remained hopeful that the “huge” early turnout in the state would lead to a Democratic win.
“The state where we’re going downhill is Georgia. It’s hard to believe that they will go for Herschel Walker,” the Democratic leader said of the Republican Senate nominee, adding later, “But our vote, our early turnout in Georgia is huge, huge.”
He also remained confident about Pennsylvania after Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s high-stakes debate performance against Republican Mehmet Oz.
“It looks like the debate didn’t hurt us too much in Pennsylvania … so that’s good,” the Democratic leader said.
He added that his party was “picking up steam” in Nevada, where Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is among the party’s most vulnerable incumbents.
The overheard comments came during a conversation between Schumer, President Joe Biden, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on the tarmac of Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, less than two weeks out from Election Day.
Democrats are fighting to hold onto their narrow majority in the 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris has the tie-breaking vote. Both Georgia, which Democrats are defending, and Pennsylvania, which represents their best opportunity to flip a seat, are critical to that mission.
The Georgia race was rocked this week by allegations from a second woman who claims she was in a years-long romantic relationship with Walker and that he pressured her into having an abortion. Walker, who has already been accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging her to have the procedure and then reimbursing her the cost, has denied the allegations.
Most polling shows Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who’s running for a full six-year term, with a modest lead over Walker in the final stretch of the campaign.
Watch the video below:
Schumer to Biden on the midterms:
"It looks like the debate didn't hurt us too much in Pennsylvania as of today, so that's good…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." pic.twitter.com/6fypr4BeY1
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) October 27, 2022
