Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday fired back at Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) for his remarks that the Texas senator’s stance on renewable fuels like ethanol would be “damaging” to Iowa.
“It is not a surprise that the establishment is in full panic mode,” Cruz told BuzzFeed News in response to Branstad. “We predicted from the very beginning that the Washington cartel would fire every tool in its arsenal to prevent a conservative victory in this primary.”
At the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on Tuesday, Branstad said that “it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support” Cruz because he is “the biggest opponent of renewable fuels.”
Cruz suggested on Tuesday that members of the establishment like Branstad are beginning to support Donald Trump.
“The cartel exists to make deals and to pick winners and losers through cronyism and corporate welfare,” he told BuzzFeed News. “And so it’s no surprise that more and more of the establishment is beginning to support Donald Trump. Because Donald has promised to make deals and to continue the cronyism and corporate welfare of Washington. That’s what the cartel does. They make deals with Democrats.”
The senator later told reporters that that corn farmers in Iowa aren’t looking for “career politicians.”
“I’m saying Iowa corn farmers are wonderful Americans, but Iowa corn farmers are not career politicians,” Cruz said, according to Politico. “Iowa corn farmers are frustrated with career politicians. They’re fed up with politicians who make deals every day to grow government, to expand the debt.”
