By Andrew Stanton

Copyright newsweek

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, blasted former Vice President Kamala Harris’ remarks about not picking former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate in the 2024 election.

Newsweek reached out to Harris’ office for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate last year, but the pair ended up losing to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, then an Ohio senator, in the November election. Buttigieg has been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party and, like Harris, is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

What to Know

Harris revealed in her new book 107 Days that she opted against Buttigieg due to concerns about how voters would respond to a presidential ticket consisting of a Black woman and gay man.

“We were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk,” she wrote.

Cruz responded to her comments on his podcast Verdict With Ted Cruz published on Wednesday.

“Democrats are at their core racist. They are at their core deeply bigoted,” he said.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, speaks during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on September 27, 2023.

He said he doubts voters would refuse to vote for Harris “because she is a Black woman married to a Jewish man.” Instead, he pointed to issues ranging from immigration to inflation as to why she lost.

“She says Pete would be an ideal partner. That’s who she wanted to pick, and the singular reason she did not is he is gay. If he were straight, she doesn’t explicitly say it, but she pretty clearly suggests he would have been her pick. She’s quite open about saying, Nope, for her, being gay was disqualifying,” he said.

While Harris’ remarks have drawn some backlash, her supporters note that she has long supported LGBTQ+ rights and was an early supporter of same-sex marriage during her career in California politics. Cruz has opposed LGBTQ+ rights like same-sex marriage, voting against the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022.

Cruz has, however, condemned an anti-gay law passed in Uganda that would include the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” In 2023, he called that law “horrific and wrong.”

Buttigieg responded to Harris’ writings last week in an interview with Politico, saying that he believes in “giving Americans more credit.”

“My experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you’re going to do for their lives, not on categories,” Buttigieg said.

What People Are Saying

Harris told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow: “It made me very sad, but I also realized it would be a real risk. I’ve been an advocate and an ally for the LGBT community my entire life. It wasn’t about any prejudice on my part, but we had such a short period of time and the stakes were so high. I think Pete is a phenomenal public servant, and I think America is and will be ready for that. But when I had to make that decision with two weeks to go, you know, and maybe I was being too cautious.”

The View co-host Sara Haines said last week: “This is my problem with identity politics. Kamala Harris is a Black woman, and she’s a lot of other things. Pete Buttigieg is a gay man, and he’s a lot of other things. When I look at these people, I don’t look and say ‘Well there’s a Black woman, there’s a gay man.’ End of story.”

Journalist Chris Cillizza said in a video posted to X: “I don’t think Kamala Harris picking Pete Buttigieg wins her the presidency. Nor do I think, by the way, it would have lost her the presidency. But I think it is revealing in who she is as a politician, and that is someone who doesn’t like risk. Doesn’t like to leap before they look, even occasionally.”

What Happens Next

Buttigieg and Harris are both seen as potential 2028 candidates. Polls suggest they would be among the leading options for Democratic primary voters. Neither has confirmed plans to run, but decisions to skip the 2026 elections have fueled speculation that they could be considering doing so.