Two gladiators of the Republican party, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are escalating their feud in Iowa as the political battle gets deeper. As the clock ticks down to the start of primary voting season, the two candidates have since been on each other over the battle of ‘who gets the GOP flag.’ At the last Republican debate, Cruz denounced Trump for his so-called “New York values,” implying that the real-estate mogul just might be a bleeding-heart liberal. Trump shot back, suggesting that Cruz’s Canadian birth could disqualify him from the presidential race.
Trump is playing a political card, supports Iowans
Trump is attempting to gain an advantage over Cruz in Iowa by affirming his support for the ethanol mandate, a popular policy in the early-voting state. On Tuesday, according to The Hill, Trump called for an increase in the mandate, which is part of the Renewable Fuel Standard, a federal program that requires renewable fuels, such as ethanol, to be blended with gasoline each year. Iowa’s robust corn industry loves the policy since ethanol production creates a market for Iowa corn.
Cruz is not convinced about the mandate
Cruz is not convinced as he favors ending the mandate in a five-year phase-out. This view led Iowa Republican Governor Terry Branstad to say on Tuesday, that he wants to see Cruz defeated. Cruz “hasn’t supported renewable fuels, and I think it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him,” the governor declared. Rather than embrace the policy beloved by Iowans, Cruz is showing himself as a conservative purist who is opposed to government mandates of any kind. On the national stage, this could help him (Cruz) attract conservative voters.
Trump says people don’t like Cruz
Both Trump and Cruz are gunning for the heart of Iowa to take the top spot in the state caucus. If Trump can turn the ethanol mandate into big issue, it could give him an edge over Cruz, who has been steadily gaining ground in Iowa. Trump’s excitement over Branstad’s denouncement of Cruz was evident on Twitter, where he wrote: “Wow, the highly respected Governor of Iowa just stated that ‘Ted Cruz must be defeated,’ Big shocker People do not like Ted.”
