The freshman senator also called Republican calls to block a nomination to the high court "naked partisanship"
NEWARK -- Despite being mentioned as a possible nominee for a fresh vacancy on the country's highest court, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said Tuesday that he has no plans to leave his current post.
During a signing for his newly released book "United", at American History High School in Newark, Booker said he was honored by the suggestion he might be picked to succeed the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia but denied that any such wheels were in motion.
"It's incredibly flattering to be a U.S. senator, which I want to stay at for a long time," he said. "It's flattering to be talked about for anything, but I've got the best job. The best job I can dream of."
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After Scalia's unexpected death Saturday, Booker's name was immediately floated as a potential pick for the vacant seat. Booker, who served as Newark's mayor from 2006 to 2013, holds a law degree from Yale University.
While never completely ruling out accepting the nod, he has since repeated several times that he is focused on his duties in the Senate. His current term runs through 2020.
President Barack Obama has said he will move ahead with the nomination to the high court, though Republicans have vowed to fight any such effort until a new president has taken office in January 2017.
On Tuesday, Booker voiced his support for the president, and called any efforts to block a well-qualified nominee "naked partisanship."
"That's not following our traditions. To leave a vacancy for over a year is something that, besides a war-time situation, we have never seen," he said. "We shouldn't leave a branch of the government in that situation."
The senator's name has often been floated as a potential vice presidential choice for candidates such as Hillary Clinton.
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