As public opinion heats up over whether Vice President Kamala Harris will replace President Biden as the Democratic Party’s top candidate in the 2024 presidential election, House Republicans are already stepping up their attacks on her.
Republicans in both reliably Republican districts and left-leaning battleground states have said they do not see Harris as a political threat to their chances of winning in November, arguing she is still tied to Biden’s progressive policies that they see as unpopular with voters.
Rep. Nick Langworthy of New York, who served as chairman of the New York Republican Party for many years before joining Congress, told Fox News Digital that “Kamala Harris is just as responsible for the failures of this administration, but she is more incompetent.”
“She will have no effect on the outcome. President Trump will be our 47th president,” he said.
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Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Nick Langworthy of New York and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, have downplayed the potential threat if Vice President Kamala Harris succeeds Biden as president. (Getty Images)
One Republican battleground candidate, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital he was skeptical that Harris could fare better than Biden in the debate.
“I’d say she’s the weakest link in the field right now, as much as Biden is,” the Republican said.
“Whether it’s Joe Biden [Harris] “If they’re going to be the top contenders, they’re going to have to defend their dismal tax-and-spend record,” said Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida. “In battleground states, Republicans are seeing big gains across the board, especially with Hispanic voters.”
Rep. Greg Stube of Florida, a Trump ally who runs a heavily Republican district, told Fox News Digital that Biden and Harris “both have the same disastrous policies.”
This comes amid swirling discussion that Harris could be one of the leading candidates to succeed Biden if he chooses to drop out of the race ahead of a rematch with former President Trump in November.
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If President Biden withdraws from the election, Vice President Harris will inherit the Biden-Harris campaign’s huge financial resources. (Tierney L. Cross)
Biden and his campaign have maintained that he has no plans to drop out of the race, but his weak performance in last month’s presidential debate has left many on the left wondering whether he is the favorite to beat Trump. Since the debate aired, several polls have shown Biden trailing slightly behind Trump.
When asked by reporters about the speculation, Harris has repeatedly defended her support for Biden.
But if she were to take over, Harris would be the only Democratic candidate who could inherit the Biden-Harris campaign’s $240 million in campaign funds.
Harris has also been targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House Republican campaign arm, making it clear that the committee sees her as the Democrats’ next major target.
A new ad released by the NRCC this week portrays Harris as a Biden “supporter” and criticizes her role as Biden’s “border secretary.”
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A spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) He told Axios “Republicans are deluding themselves if they think the American people will blame anyone other than Donald Trump and his incompetent Republican extremists and pseudo-moderates for killing a bipartisan border deal,” the ad begins.
Doubts have grown about Biden’s viability as a presidential candidate following his debate with former President Trump. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
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Recent CNN/SSRS Poll It shows Harris performing slightly better than Biden in head-to-head matches against Trump.
But when asked about her impact in the November election, House Majority Whip and former NRCC Chairman Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said he was confident about Republicans’ chances of taking the White House, but declined to speak specifically about the vice president.
“It doesn’t matter what incompetent failures Democrats field in November’s election, voters are ready to abandon the sinking ship that is the Biden-Harris administration,” Emmer said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Biden campaign and Harris’ office for comment.
