Schumer Captured on Hot Mic Talking to Biden About 2022 Midterms: ‘Didn’t Hurt Us’

President Joe Biden speaks, flanked by US Senator Chuck Schumer (L) speaks, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (R) and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (2nd L), during a tour of a neighbourhood affected by Hurricane Ida in Queens, New York on Sept. 7, 2021. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was heard Thursday discussing Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s debate performance with President Joe Biden on a hot mic.

“The debate didn’t hurt us too much in Pennsylvania, so that’s good,” Schumer told Biden during a stop in Syracuse, New York.

“We’re in danger in that seat,” Schumer also said on the tarmac of a local airport. It’s not clear what seat he was referring to.

Fetterman’s performance against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz was widely criticized, even by corporate news outlets that are generally much friendlier toward Democrat candidates. A recent stroke victim, Fetterman spoke in a halting manner, often slurred his words, made mistakes—some of them contradictory—and sometimes could not form complete sentences.

At the start of the debate, Fetterman told the audience: “Hi, goodnight everybody.”

Fetterman suffered a stroke in May, casting his primary ballot from a hospital room. His campaign has faced criticism for allowing him to run instead of recovering, for not allowing members of the press to obtain his full medical record, and for blocking access to his doctors.

Polls and oddsmakers have signaled that Republicans are gaining traction in several battleground states, including Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, and others. And Oregon, which hasn’t had a Republican governor in decades, may elect its first to the governor’s office next month.

In surveys, voters have expressed worry about the rising cost of living due to inflation, gas prices, and surges in violent crime, which Republican candidates have targeted. Democrats, meanwhile, have crafted their messaging around abortion following the Supreme Court’s historic decision to reverse Roe v. Wade over the summer.

Pollsters and analysts have said that Republicans are likely to recapture the House. Historically, the party of the White House tends to lose seats in midterms.

But in the 50–50 Senate, the GOP’s prospects are much murkier, although some oddsmakers have swung toward Republicans in taking both the upper chamber and House following Fetterman’s performance.

On Thursday, Schumer also told Biden that Democrats are “picking up steam in Nevada.” However, it’s not clear if the Senate Democrat leader was referring to the Nevada Senate race or the gubernatorial race, or both.

In the Silver State, incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) could be bumped out of her seat by Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, who led the response to the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, is challenging Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak.

The Epoch Times has contacted Schumer’s office for comment.