Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz warned Republicans against underestimating Vice President Kamala Harris as she emerges as the top contender for the Democratic Party's nomination for president.
"Republicans, I worry, vastly underestimate Kamala Harris. They don't think very highly of her. They don't think she's terribly bright. When you or I bring up Kamala Harris' name in Republican circles, people laugh. It's immediately a punchline," Cruz said Monday on his podcast "Verdict with Ted Cruz."
Cruz warned against Republicans preemptively celebrating a Trump-Vance win months out from the election, arguing Democrats and the media will promote Harris as an "historic" candidate.
"I think people are underestimating what billions of dollars of free media, of the entire corrupt corporate media complex, pitching her as a combination of Mother Teresa, Oprah and Gandhi," Cruz said.
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"I still think Trump wins in November, but this is not a layup. It is not given.… If you're a Democrat, what makes you nervous is chaos, and this much chaos 100 days out is scary. But you know what? Even more scary is going to an election where you're almost certain to lose, which is where Biden was," he continued.
President Biden announced Sunday afternoon on X that he was bowing out of the presidential race, which was quickly followed by him endorsing his vice president to run in his place.
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"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this," Biden said in a follow-up social media post endorsing Harris.
The vice president held her first public address Monday since Biden's announcement, praising Biden for his decades in government.
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"I am a firsthand witness that every day our President Joe Biden fights for the American people and we are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation," she said Monday from the South Lawn of the White House during an event celebrating NCAA athletes.
Harris is not yet the official nominee of her party, as the DNC must first certify her – or another potential candidate – next month.
Former President Trump officially became the nominee of the Republican Party last week after announcing Ohio. Sen. JD Vance as his running mate. Cruz said the RNC, which was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the "best" he's attended in all his years in politics. However, he remarked it was concerning to see some in the GOP were "overconfident" that Trump has an election win locked.
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"I was very worried at the convention," Cruz said. "… I am afraid people were overconfident at the convention. There was an air of celebration. It was, 'We've won. We're on to victory. This is a landslide. Trump's coming back in. We've got a huge Republican majority.'"
"In my view, and I was trying to say this, 'Look, there's a time for celebration. Celebrate after Election Day. Celebrate after we've won. Now is not the time for celebration. Now is the time for hard work.'"
