Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) on Tuesday said that he does not want Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to win the Iowa caucuses or the Republican presidential nomination, citing Cruz’s position on ethanol.
When asked during the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Altoona if he wants Cruz to lose the race, Branstad replied, “Yes,” according to Des Moines television station WHO-TV.
Branstad told reporters at the summit that he wants voters to understand that Cruz does not support the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires gasoline to be mixed with biofuels like ethanol.
“Ted Cruz is ahead right now. What we’re trying to do is educate the people in the state of Iowa. He is the biggest opponent of renewable fuels,” Branstad said on Tuesday, according to the Des Moines Register. “He actually introduced a bill in 2013 to immediately eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard. He’s heavily financed by Big Oil. So we think once Iowans realize that fact, they might find other things attractive, but he could be very damaging to our state.”
“I think it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him,” Branstad added, according to the Des Moines Register.
Branstad’s son, Eric Branstad, leads group of renewable fuels supporters in Iowa who have confronted Cruz as he campaigns in the state, according to WHO-TV.
Gov: We all want small govt; however Iowa is special and it needs all the subsidies it can get from federal govt. I personally thank Liberal states which subsidize us. God bless America.
Real Americans
Slimy right-wing senator vs. slimy, handout-grubbing, Bible-thumping state. Which side is more despicable here? All of them, Katie.
"By golly, by gee, by gum, Cruz’s policies are uncornstitutional!
[Zea later.]
Actually, Cruz is the strongest supporter of ethanol among the candidates, as we expect to learn at a press conference later this afternoon. Indeed, he is so enthusiastic about ethanol use that he considers it a New York Value.