Cruz speculates on Biden picking Harris for court

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a podcast speculated that President Biden may nominate Vice President Harris to serve on the Supreme Court “to get her out of the White House.”  

Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, but there is little to no chance he’s going to pick Harris.

She is not among a half-dozen names who are seen as the top potential picks to succeed the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. 

But that hasn’t stopped some Republicans, such as Cruz, from speculating about a Harris pick. 

“Look, the Democratic Party is very worried that she’s the presumed successor to Joe Biden because her political negatives are so strong,” Cruz told co-host Michael Knowles on the podcast “Verdict.”

“I think there is a chance they nominate Kamala to the court in part because they can’t stand her and one of the virtues of naming her to the court is they get to get her out of the White House,” he said.  

Republican have reveled in Biden’s low approval ratings, believing the bad numbers will help them win congressional majorities this fall.

Biden is also 79, and while he has said he plans to run for reelection, his age has led to speculation he could choose not to run for a second term.

Harris is his most likely successor, though her approval numbers are also low and Republicans and some Democrats do not see her as a potentially strong nominee in 2024. 

Biden at a two-hour press conference earlier this month sought to quash speculation about Harris’s future when asked whether he could “guarantee” that she would be his running mate in 2024. The president simply replied “yes.”  

Cruz himself is considering another for president in 2024 and has sought to play up his own appeal to the GOP’s grassroots base.