Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in an op-ed Thursday that Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, would be a “sure thing” if President Trump nominated him to the Supreme Court to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy.
“Most presidents are forced to gamble on a nominee they do not truly know — someone who has spent a lifetime outside the public eye,” Cruz wrote in an op-ed. “Presidents must pore over the thinnest bodies of evidence on these people, trying to discern their convictions and ability from scattered cases and the recommendations of others. It’s a risk, when what a president really needs is a sure thing.”
“President Trump, however, has lucked out,” Cruz wrote. “He has a sure thing, battle-tested, ready, and willing to serve: Sen. Mike Lee.”
[Also read: As Trump weighs options, Mike Pence meets with court contenders]
Cruz argued that Lee “was made for this moment.” The opinion piece was the Texas Republican’s latest show of support for Lee, one of his closest friends and allies in the upper chamber of Congress.
“No other candidate has his combination of record, ability, and a sure-fire path to confirmation — and no other candidate would excite conservative voters this November more than someone they know and trust, like Mike Lee,” Cruz said.
Cruz has been a longtime backer of Lee for the court. He pushed Trump to include Lee’s name on an expanded list of possible Supreme Court nominees before the 2016 election, which also included Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Lee spoke with Trump about the spot on Monday, a week before Trump’s expected June 9 announcement, but is considered a long shot to be nominated. Among the top choices for the nomination are Judges Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
