As GOP eyes turn to state, Cruz next

He will visit LR, eat in Russellville

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the Freedom Summit, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the Freedom Summit, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is visiting Arkansas next week. Political experts say more Republicans are likely to follow, especially if the candidate pool remains large.

"The significant factor here, I do think, is the 17 candidates," said Hal Bass, a political science professor at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. "There's more candidates vying for places to talk, audiences to hear them."

Unlike in 2008, when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee faced little competition in the state's Republican primary, challengers have decided to spend time and resources in the Natural State.

"Our goal is to bring in as many of our diverse presidential candidates to the state as possible," said Isaac Foley, political director for the state Republican Party.

Cruz's visit comes just a few weeks after Republican front-runner Donald Trump drew a large crowd in Hot Springs. Huckabee also visited Jonesboro and Little Rock in June to raise money.

Both Bass and Janine Parry, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas, said multiple factors are behind the attention from Republican contenders.

The Arkansas Legislature voted to move the primary date from May 24 to March 1 during a special session in May, helping to create an "SEC Primary" with other Southern states.

"I think the SEC primary concept is going to turn candidates pretty quickly toward the South, which is a strength of the Republican Party," Bass said.

In addition to Arkansas, Cruz is stopping in Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee, which are part of the SEC Primary, and South Carolina and Mississippi, which are not.

Bass also said Huckabee isn't the inevitable Arkansas Republican winner, making the state more competitive, especially in a crowded race.

"While Huckabee remains the favorite son of Arkansas Republicans, there is a kind of distance that's been built in over time," he said.

Huckabee moved to Florida in 2010, but made a point to announce his candidacy in his hometown, Hope, earlier this year.

"He was a popular governor here and he continues to perform well in polls in Arkansas," Parry said. "But in a field like this, who knows if he'll still be in the race [by the time Arkansas has its primary]?"

In additional to the uncertainty surrounding Huckabee, Parry said conservative gains in the Arkansas Legislature and a Republican sweep of the state's constitutional offices have gotten the attention of presidential candidates.

"The more economic conservatives, establishment Republicans -- who are more socially liberal than the average Arkansan -- probably won't stop here," she said. "But social conservatives in particular and libertarians would be able to find support and cash here."

But Parry said the main reason multiple candidates have come to Arkansas is the size of the field.

"If you're a candidate with any kind of resources, you're going to try to mill around," she said. "You gotta fish where you can."

The visit

On Aug. 12, Cruz will ride in his bus from Memphis to speak at 11 a.m. in the parking lot of Republican headquarters in Little Rock.

The rally is open to the public, Foley said.

From there, he will travel to Fat Daddy's Bar-B-Que in downtown Russellville at 2:30 p.m., where a wooden chair, plenty of smoked meat, rolls of paper towels and a noncommittal restaurant owner will be waiting for him.

"I'm listening and trying to form an educated opinion when it comes time to vote," said Gordon Shirron, president of Frank Griffin Oil and owner of Fat Daddy's. "Right now I'm a fan of barbecue and if a gentleman wants to taste my barbecue, I'm happy."

There's been some debate as to what to serve Cruz, he said.

"He's Texas, and in Texas, barbecue is more beef," he said. "We're more of a pork place, but we'll try to get him something that I think he will enjoy."

Cruz's trip to Arkansas will end at Van Buren High School at 6:30 p.m. He's scheduled to speak at the Crawford County Republican Committee's Lincoln Day Dinner.

Committee chairman Mark Shaffer said the committee sent invitations to every presidential contender and Cruz was the first to respond.

Two tickets to dinner, a reception and a photo with Cruz are $300. Dinner-only tickets are $75.

Shaffer said both kinds of tickets were selling well, but some were still available. The room the committee booked at the school seats 400, but Shaffer said he was working with the school to move to a larger room, which can seat up to 650 people.

"We've got people coming from all over the state, southern Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma coming to our dinner," he said. "We're very excited about the response we've received."

Marcela White, a political coordinator for Cruz who lives in Fort Smith, said she can't wait to introduce Arkansas to the presidential hopeful.

"Basically, I grew up overseas in a socialist country and when I see what's happening here today, it just makes me have flashbacks to my childhood," said White, who is from Romania. "I think he's someone who's actually very much like Ronald Reagan, and actually, Ronald Reagan is the reason communism fell in Europe."

She says there's plenty of enthusiasm about Cruz's visit: "I'm not the only one excited and I can tell you that for sure."

Metro on 08/05/2015

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