Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday predicted Democrats will force President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race and will nominate Vice President Harris or former first lady Michelle Obama to replace him at the top of the party's ticket.
"I put the odds at about 80 percent [Democrats] dump [Biden], and if and when they dump him, I think their replacement nominee will be one of two people — it will either be Michelle Obama or it will be Kamala Harris," Cruz said in an interview on Fox Business.
"Listen, they've all known for six months, for a year, for longer, that Biden's mental capacity was severely diminished, that he was not up to doing the job," he added. "But they're not worried about having a commander in chief who's not capable of fulfilling the responsibilities, the only reason they're panicking is because now they realize the American people have seen that, and they're terrified he's going to lose in November and so now, they're willing to dump him."
Harris's name has been repeatedly floated as a potential replacement should Biden drop out of the race, though he has maintained he does not intend to do so, even amid mounting pressure from some within his party.
The president came under harsh scrutiny last month after his disastrous debate performance against former President Trump sparked concerns about his ability to win reelection and carry out another term.
Harris made clear last week she supports Biden’s continued reelection campaign, while Obama has repeatedly said she will not pursue a bid for the White House.
When asked Thursday if Biden is at a breaking point, Cruz said he already thinks Biden is "toast."
"I think the Democrats are in full-on panic and I view this as largely inevitable that they're moving towards dumping him and realize they've got a combination of two things: They've got, number one, the several mental diminutions of the president due to old age, but they got, secondly, a set of politics they cannot defense," he added, pointing to the U.S. southern border.
Recent polling has suggested Harris and Obama may each have a slight lead against Trump, further fueling speculation about their viability as potential candidates.
According to a survey this week from Democratic pollster Bendixen & Amandi Inc., Harris edged out Trump 42 percent to 41 percent, while Biden fell behind the former president with 42 percent support to Trump's 43 percent.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this month, Obama was the only Democrat with a lead on Trump in a hypothetical match-up, garnering 50 percent support to his 39 percent.
Other Democrats floated as potential replacements have included California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Ten House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to drop out, while Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) became the first Democratic senator to make the same call Wednesday night.
