Republicans call for Obama to hold off on his pick and for the Senate to hold strong against confirmation.
By Michael Topel ••
The 2016 presidential candidates Saturday reacted with surprise and sadness to the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but that soon gave way to a debate over his succession.
Even before President Barack Obama vowed Saturday evening to nominate a successor "in due time," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ben Carson had called for the next U.S. president to make that decision.
Cruz took to Twitter to call Scalia "an American hero."
"We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement," Cruz said.
Cruz said at a Republican debate in South Carolina later that the "Senate needs to stand strong" against confirming Obama's pick. Cruz, a former clerk to then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist from 1996 to 1997, made the case that conservatives were at risk of losing the Supreme Court for a generation.
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Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer looks on at left, as fellow Justice Antonin Scalia testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 5, 2011, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing; "Considering the Role of Judges Under the Constitution of the United States."
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President Ronald Reagan, center, gestures during a news conference at the White House June 17, 1986, where he announced the nomination of Antonin Scalia, left, to the Supreme Court.
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Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, left, and Antonin Scalia testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 5, 2011, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing; "Considering the Role of Judges Under the Constitution of the United States."
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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia administers the oath of allegiance to new citizens, during a ceremony commemorating the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Nov. 19, 2013, in Gettysburg, Pa.
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Bobblehead dolls representing Supreme Court Justices, from left, David Souter, William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, and Ruth Ginsburg, in Washington, Nov. 20, 2013. They are some of the rarest bobblehead dolls ever produced, released erratically and given away for free, not sold.
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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia gestures while addressing the American Medical Association's National Leadership Conference in Washington, March 9, 1998. Scalia said that while the Supreme Court is the highest judicial venue in the country, Congress, not the justices themselves, should decide vexing questions such as abortion rights, the death penalty and physician-assisted suicide.
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This courtroom artist rendering shows Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli Jr., right, speaking before the Supreme Court in Washington, March 4, 2015. From left: Justices Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justice Anthony Kennedy.
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The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather for a group portrait at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, Oct. 8, 2010. Seated from left to right: Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Standing, from left are: Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr., and Associate Justice Elena Kagan.
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Justice Antonin Scalia delivers the keynote address at the "Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor" evening program at the Library of Congress on, Nov. 6, 2014, in Washington.
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Supreme Court Justice's Antonin Scalia, right, and Stephen Breyer, left, take the stage for an event to discuss the methodology they bring to interpreting the Constitution at the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society event, Dec. 5, 2006, in Washington.
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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is interviewed, July 26, 2012, at the Supreme Court in Washington.
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Supreme Court Justice nominee Anthony Scalia at the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings in Washington on August 6, 1986.
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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia speaks at a constitutional law symposium where he delivered a talk called “Interpreting the Constitution: A View From the High Court," March 14, 2014, in Atlanta. Scalia said the U.S. Constitution is a living document and provides a flexible legal system. Scalia was appointed to the nation's highest court in 1986, making him the longest-serving justice currently on the court. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
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U.S. Supreme Court justices pose for a group portrait at the court in Washington, Nov. 9, 1990. Clockwise from top left: Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, David Souter, John Paul Stevens, Thurgood Marshall, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
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Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia poses with his family in his chambers before court ceremonies on September 26, 1986 in Washington, D.C. Pictured are, front row, from left: Margaret Jane; Justice Scalia, Christopher and Mary. In the back are, from left: Mrs. Scalia, Ann Forrest, Elizabeth, Matthew, Eugene, John and Paul.
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Supreme Court Justice nominee Antonin Scalia departs his McLean, Virginia, residence on August 5, 1986, enroute to Capitol Hill. Scalia was scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee which was beginning confirmation hearings on his nomination.
Donald Trump, who tweeted that Scalia's death was "a massive setback for the conservative movement and our country," also called for a fight over Scalia's successor.
"Delay, delay delay," he said during Saturday's debate.
On Facebook, Ben Carson said that Scalia's "towering intellect and trenchant wit has characterized the deliberations and decisions of the high court."
"Given the dire condition our democracy currently finds itself under Obama's lack of leadership, I call on the Senate to stop any attempts to fill this crucial seat until We The People elect a strong Constitutionalist this November," Carson wrote.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich also argued against a pick before the general election. He said he hoped Obama would nominate someone with "unanimous approval" but he didn't think that would happen.
Gov. Kasich's statement on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. pic.twitter.com/MAypwTGQR2
Jeb Bush conceded during the debate that the president "has every right" to nominate who he wanted, but he doubted that person would be a consensus pick.
Bush earlier called Scalia "a brilliant defender of the rule of law."
At Mass, Columba & I prayed for Justice Scalia, who was devout in faith and has been brought home to God in heaven. https://t.co/Bumxa6Ikrs
Hillary Clinton, the last major candidate to release a statement online, sent her thoughts and prayers to Scalia's family, but also castigated Republicans for urging Obama to leave the seat open.
"The Republicans in the Senate and on the campaign trail who are calling for Justice Scalia's seat to remain vacant dishonor our Constitution," she said. "The Senate has a constitutional responsibility here that it cannot abdicate for partisan political reasons."
