Ted Cruz is best known in Washington for being universally disliked by his colleagues and picking fights his party can't finish. Take the 2013 government shutdown he pushed over Obamacare, for example, that left his party with absolutely nothing to show for it other than sinking poll numbers.
So when news of Justice Antonin Scalia's death broke on Saturday, Cruz pounced—seeing another opening to raise his profile by blocking President Obama’s nominee. How well it will play for Republicans at the ballot box is a different question and one Cruz likely didn't consider when, within the hour, he dashed off his tweet calling for "the next President" to name Scalia's replacement.
Ever since, Cruz has been leveraging Scalia's death to boost his campaign, reports Matt Flegenheimer.
In a Fox News interview on Monday morning, Mr. Cruz was quick to take his share of the credit. “I was very pleased to see Republican leadership following what I called for,” Mr. Cruz said.
Perhaps more important, Mr. Cruz has seized on the moment to broadcast Mr. Trump’s long history of left-leaning positions, questioning his willingness to appoint conservatives at public appearances on Monday and in a new campaign ad titled “Supreme Trust.” [...]
He called Saturday’s Republican debate, which included a long discussion of Justice Scalia and a dust-up over the legacy of George W. Bush, a “turning point in the campaign” and speculated about Mr. Trump’s standing in polls.
Of course, there's no evidence that Trump has taken a hit in the polls, and Cruz’s campaign hasn't been able to produce any. Cruz is just using Scalia’s death in an attempt to scrape and claw his way up to where Trump stands atop the field. Classy.