Sen. Ted Cruz quipped to Texas voters that his Democratic opponent Rep. Beto O’Rourke would ban barbecue in the state if he wins Cruz’s Senate seat.
At a campaign appearance in Columbus over the weekend, Cruz, whose wife is a vegetarian, pointed to a PETA protest as evidence that barbecue would be banned if O’Rourke defeats him.
“When I got here someone told me that even PETA was protesting and giving out barbecued tofu, so I got to say, they summed up the entire election: If Texas elects a Democrat, they’re going to ban barbecue across the state of Texas,” Cruz said, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
“You want to talk about an issue to mobilize the people, and I’m talking everybody,” he continued.
He then joked that PETA would have disclose to the Federal Elections Commission that it gave an in-kind donation to his campaign.
“You have given an in-kind contribution to my campaign by demonstrating just how bad things can get,” Cruz said.
Four PETA volunteers held signs and offered free samples of barbecued tofu outside the campaign event, the Statesman said. Their message was that “Republicans eat tofu too.”
On Sunday, Cruz reiterated his claim in a tweet.
“If Beto wins, BBQ will be illegal!” he wrote.
[Mick Mulvaney: ‘Very real possibility’ Ted Cruz loses Texas Senate race]
.@peta protested our town hall yesterday, handing out barbecued tofu. We were glad to welcome them, but it illustrates the stakes af the election: if Beto wins, BBQ will be illegal! ??? https://t.co/L1ILod6EST
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 16, 2018
