Nutter told "Fox News Sunday" the extent of the electoral fallout from the Democratic Illinois senator's comments remains to be seen.

"Of course, that will be left to the voters. But certainly it seems damaging to the campaign," Nutter said. "I'm certainly saddened to hear those kinds of comments."

Obama has drawn heat for describing some Pennsylvanians as bitter over the loss of jobs.

"It's not surprising, then, that they get bitter -- they cling to guns, or religion, or antipathy toward people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," Obama said last Sunday.

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said the feelings Obama described are indicative of people's frustration with Washington's failures.

"But there is a great deal of anger out there, a great deal of sentiment that we've got to see change in this country and that unless Washington breaks with its past and accepts the fact that this sentiment is really deep-seated, is palpable, we're not going to see the change we need in this country," Daschle said.