Ted Cruz is under attack. The Texas senator’s rise in Iowa presidential surveys has attracted criticism from all sides.
America’s Renewable Future, a bipartisan political group with the support of ethanol and agricultural industry workers, unleashed new digital and radio ads attacking Cruz in Iowa. The senator’s opposition to ethanol mandates has drawn the ire of ARF, whose ads claim that Cruz’s policy proposals “threaten rural Iowa and thousands of jobs.”
“Politicians like Ted Cruz are the worst kind: Hypocrites,” the ad says. “There are millions of reasons Ted Cruz supports Big Oil instead of Iowa farmers. Call politician Ted Cruz. Tell him to stop being a hypocrite and support Iowa jobs.”
Cruz opposes the Renewable Fuel Standard, which determines the amount of ethanol and other renewable fuels that must be blended into gasoline. Annette Sweeney, a former Republican state representative and ARF co-chair, said Cruz has not been honest about his opposition to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
“Cruz owes Iowans an explanation and the truth,” Sweeney said in a statement. “In the meantime, we have an obligation to the 50,000 caucus-goers who have pledged to caucus for a pro-RFS candidate to let them know that Ted Cruz is dangerous.”
And Cruz has sustained attacks from his fellow GOP presidential candidates, too. Asked by MSNBC on Tuesday whether Cruz has made America less safe, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie responded, “Sure he has.” Christie referenced Cruz’s opposition to NSA surveillance programs.
“He went for the easy political vote at a time when it looked like it was kind of a popular thing to do,” Christie said. “With all those dead Parisians, don’t look so popular anymore.”
A recent Quinnipiac University survey shows Cruz’s popularity soaring in Iowa, where he’s statistically tied with Donald Trump for the top spot among GOP voters. Cruz ranks second in the Washington Examiner‘s GOP presidential power rankings.
