(TND) — Democratic support is eroding under President Joe Biden's feet, which could reportedly force him out of the presidential race – and as soon as this weekend.

The Washington Post on Thursday reported that former President Barack Obama had privately told allies that Biden should seriously consider the viability of his campaign.

Over 20 congressional Democrats have said Biden should step aside, including prominent California Rep. Adam Schiff.

ABC News reported that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have both told Biden that it would be better for him and the party if he were to bow out of the race.

Officials are increasingly worried about Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in this fall’s election. And they’ve expressed concerns that a Biden defeat could also mean congressional election defeats for Democrats.

An expert in congressional politics previously told The National Desk that anything is on the table for this year’s House and Senate elections. The Cook Political Report has identified just a few toss-ups in the Senate and 22 toss-ups in the House this election cycle, with both parties already governing with razor-thin margins.

A poll released last week by George Washington University showed there were voter concerns and a lack of enthusiasm underpinning Biden's campaign even before his poor debate performance June 27.

But the chorus of concerns has grown immensely louder in the weeks since the debate, in which the 81-year-old president came across as old and confused.

Trump has a small lead, 1.9%, over Biden, according to an amalgam of recent polls published by The Hill.

And a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found nearly two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw from the race.

About three-quarters of independents and younger Democrats want Biden to drop out, according to the AP-NORC poll.

Biden doesn’t need to necessarily drop out for Democrats to win this election, said Peter Loge, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at GW.

But it’ll be tougher for Democrats to rally behind the president than it would be a possible replacement, likely Vice President Kamala Harris.

“They'll rally, but the enthusiasm won't be there,” Loge said.

Biden just tested positive for COVID-19.

The White House said Biden is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue to carry out his presidential duties while self-isolating.

But the infection is forcing him off the campaign trail.

And Loge said that could be the opening Biden needs to step out of the race.

“I think he's more likely than not to drop out, and COVID gives him the off-ramp,” said Loge, who spent more than 30 years working in Democratic politics.

Biden is a fighter by nature, but he’s also a political pragmatist, Loge said.

COVID is “a forced time out” that allows the president to reassess his odds of victory.

And Loge said it provides Biden with a good narrative for changing his mind after weeks of defiantly saying he was not going to quit the race.

Biden told ABC News in his prime-time interview two weeks ago that he’d only step aside if “the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that.”

Loge said Biden can now say he’s passing the baton not because of electoral weakness or ability, but because the Democrats can’t afford to give up a precious week of campaigning in the heat of the election.

If Biden makes that decision, Loge said it’s got to come soon.

“This weekend makes sense,” he said. “Any longer than this weekend, what we're doing is dragging it out and we're running out the clock.”

Harris is the cleanest, easiest replacement. She’s got the infrastructure and can inherit the Biden-Harris campaign war chest.

“If Harris becomes the nominee, it's clear the Republicans already have a huge opposition research file ready to roll on her. And they're going to start attacking her,” Loge said. “And because most Americans don't know who Vice President Harris is, the battle will be over defining who she is.”

Trump’s campaign took a jab at the uncertainty within the Biden-Harris campaign when it said it couldn’t schedule a vice presidential debate until it knew who “Harris picks as her running mate.”

Loge said that response “was nothing short of brilliant, but it's also a clear indication they're planning on a Harris ... candidacy.”

The Hill’s compilation of polls shows Harris faring a little better against Trump in a hypothetical matchup than Biden. While the aforementioned collection of polls has Trump leading Biden by 1.9%, the polls show Trump just 1% up on Harris.

Democrats are experiencing chaos within their ranks now, after “chaos” was so often a word used to describe the other side during ongoing battles of the House speakership.

“The Republican Party picked a great time to have an internal fight and a great time to come together publicly, because they were arguing about internal politics when nobody's paying attention, and they're unified when everybody is paying attention,” Loge said. “The Democrats were really completely unified until it mattered. And now it looks like a bit of disarray.”