The NPR Politics Podcast here with a quick take on some big political news today.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz announced businesswoman and one time rival

Carly Fiorina will be his running mate.

If, and this is a big if, he wins his party's nomination, I have come to the conclusion

that if I am nominated to be president of the United States that I will run on a ticket

with my vice presidential nominee, Carly Fiorina.

He's the first candidate to announce a running mate, so let's spend a few minutes on this.

I'm Scott DeTro, campaign reporter.

I'm Dominican Montanero, political editor.

Dominicano, is this normal?

This is pretty darn atypical.

We haven't seen anyone go into the convention who wasn't the nominee, who picked their

vice presidential pick since 1976.

Because this is typically something that you do after you know you clinch your party's

nomination and Ted Cruz is on stage making this announcement a day after...

Day after Donald Trump swept five states in the Northeast and became more apparent that

he has a path to the nomination.

He's now the only candidate by the way, Donald Trump is, who could win a majority of delegates

before that first ballot in Cleveland at the National Convention.

That's important because Ted Cruz last night was mathematically eliminated and then he comes

out with this stunt today.

So what do you think the strategy is here?

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