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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said this week he believes Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run for president, while predicting Mayor Zohran Mamdani will replace longtime Senator Chuck Schumer.

“I may disagree with Democrats on taxes and regulations, but this country needs two parties that actually love America,” Cruz wrote on X Thursday.

The prediction came after a recent battleground state poll put Ocasio-Cortez as one of the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential primary, whilst Mamdani has taken the Democrat party by storm since being elected in November.

“She’s the number one Democratic candidate in the country in New Hampshire,” Cruz said on Fox News. “My prediction is comrade Mamdani will be the next Democrat senator from New York, that Mamdani will replace Schumer.”

According to a July 22 Granite State Poll, a States of Opinion Project conducted by the University of New Hampshire, AOC just passed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for prospective Democrat candidates in the New Hampshire presidential primary amongst 648 likely voters.

He then called Mamdani “the single most powerful Democrat in the country.”

“There are some Republicans that are celebrating,” Cruz said. “I wanna say for the record: I’m not celebrating. I think this is bad for the country.”

The two New York politicians have worked together in the past, with Mamdani referring to Ocasio-Cortez as an “inspiration” last week.

“I’m excited to continue to work together because for a long time, politics has been understood as if it is about individuals and what’s so exciting is at the heart of that partnership is the belief in collective,” he said.

“I think that she would make a good anything. I think she’s a great congresswoman, and I think no matter what she decides to do, she’s going to bring those same qualities to whatever that work is.”

AOC has not officially confirmed a presidential run, and Mamdani has said that his focus is on New York City.