Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas says he’s reluctant to call for judicial retention elections for the U.S. Supreme Court in the wake of recent decisions on Obamacare and gay marriage, but that he believes a majority of the justices are not honoring their oaths.

“I am reluctant to call for retention elections — it makes me sad,” Mr. Cruz, a 2016 GOP presidential contender, said Wednesday evening on MSNBC’s “Hardball.” “But I have done it because I believe that a majority of the justices are not honoring their judicial oaths.”

Host Chris Matthews responded by saying that the Supreme Court seized the presidency in 2000 in halting the recount in Florida and that Mr. Cruz, who wrote in his new book, “A Time for Truth,” about his role in the 2000 recount, did not complain.

“Those are great talking points. How many times did they count the ballots in Florida?” Mr. Cruz said.

“Four,” Mr. Matthews said.

“Four times. How many times did Bush win?” Mr. Cruz said.

“Four times. … They wanted to try one more time,” Mr. Matthews said.

“The Democrats’ strategy was we’re going to keep counting and counting and counting and counting and eventually maybe enough people will cheat and somehow our guy will win,” Mr. Cruz said.

Mr. Matthews said he thought it was an issue of states’ rights, “which you usually champion,” and equal protection.

“I describe how the first time the Supreme Court unanimously vacated what the Florida Supreme Court did,” Mr. Cruz said. “When it came down, you know what the Florida Supreme Court did? It told the U.S. Supreme Court ‘go jump in a lake,’ didn’t even cite its opinion. … It was partisan defiance of the court, and frankly, what the Florida Supreme Court did in the Bush versus Gore recount is the same thing the U.S. Supreme Court did with Obamacare and marriage.”

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