Biden exiting race but serving out term would leave Harris in dilemma: expert

As doubts grow about President Biden's mental acuity, the spotlight turns to whether he can step down as the presidential nominee while completing his first term, and what that would mean for Vice President Kamala Harris' political future.

"Vice President Kamala Harris owes the American people an explanation as to why she has not been honest about President Biden's steep decline into incapacity," Mike Howell, executive director of the conservative advocacy group Heritage Action, told Fox News Digital.

"She chose politics over national security and history will judge her for that decision."

Howell added that Democratic lawmakers are unlikely to call for Biden to retire immediately and allow Harris to take the helm, because "to admit that is that they've basically been complicit in a lie for the last three and a half years," referring to Biden's declining health.

MULTIPLE RANKING DEMOCRATS ON HOUSE COMMITTEES WANT BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE

"Him stepping down is an implicit endorsement of Kamala Harris being the nominee, because she would be the incumbent president at that point, and so I think that factors into it," Howell said. "What's happening right now is there's just going to be a series of rounds of people increasingly calling for it, and obviously President Biden's trying to resist those calls as much as possible. But I think it's unavoidable that more and more do call."

Despite the growing chorus of concerned lawmakers calling on Biden to suspend his re-election campaign due to his poor debate performance and fading vitality, Biden has repeatedly said he is not dropping out of the race.

"Most of the Democrats who are questioning whether or challenging President Biden should run are in either swing districts or tough re-election