MANLY, Iowa -- Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) went to work Jan. 8 behind the counter at the Casey’s General Store in Manly, Iowa, to interact with members of the local community.
Cruz’s campaign tweeted “#CruzinToCaucus at @caseysgenstore in Manly, IA, this afternoon!”
Click here to view video of the candidate’s arrival at the Manly Casey’s (courtesy of @SamanthaJoRoth).
Cruz, greeting workers behind the counter and offered to fetch some items, according to a New York Times report. “Anyone need some gas? Gas? Powerball ticket? I recommend the Slushies, the Slushies are really good.”
No word from Casey’s on how many doughnuts, pizzas, frozen drinks and Powerball tickets he sold.
But it wasn’t his first Casey’s experience.
In November, Cruz stopped at a Casey’s in Chariton, Iowa, for a campaign event. The visit was part of a pledge Cruz made to visit all of Iowa’s 99 counties.
“We’re going to push hard every day that he’s here and use every moment as effectively as possible,” Bryan English, the campaign’s state director, told USA Today. “In some cases that’s going to be speaking to crowds of hundreds and other times it’s going to be having a slice of Casey’s pizza with a handful of folks that are willing to come out a little later in the evening.”
For the Manly event, Cruz participated in the National Association of Convenience Stores’ NACS In Store program in western Iowa, the group said.
“Convenience stores are the anchor of communities across the country, and they are also where community conversations take place,” said Henry Armour, NACS president and CEO. “More than half of the country visits a convenience store on a daily basis, whether to buy fuel, use the ATM, wash their cars or quickly buy snacks, drinks or meals. The NACS In Store program gives elected officials a perfect opportunity to experience how these stores serve the public in their home districts.”
Members of Congress have completed more than 30 NACS In Store events to experience firsthand the community experience that takes place at their local convenience stores. This event marks the first Presidential candidate event of 2016. Both Democrats and Republicans have received invitations to participate in these events, said NACS.
“We believe our elected officials will emerge with an even more intimate understanding, not only of convenience-store challenges, but also of their many contributions across the economic, social and cultural spectrum,” Armour said. “And over time, convenience-store owners and the customers and communities they serve should benefit from policies that spur further growth, prosperity and innovation in the sector.”
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