‘BBQ will be illegal!’ Ted Cruz claims  Democrats will ‘ban barbecue’ if elected in Texas 

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has claimed that barbecue will become illegal in Texas if his Democrat rival is elected.

Cruz was holding a rally over the weekend as part of the run up to the election, when it was targeted by protesters from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The former presidential candidate pointed to the demonstration as proof that Democrats would target Texans’s infamous love for barbecue if elected.

‘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,’ said Cruz. 

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has claimed that barbecue will become illegal in Texas if his Democrat rival is elected

Cruz later tweeted that if his rival, Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, won then ‘BBQ will be illegal!’

A spokeswoman for Cruz’s campaign later told ABC News that Cruz’s tweet was ‘of course’ a joke.

A spokesman for PETA explained the protest was about Cruz’s recent comments that liberals want Texas ‘to be just like California, right down to the tofu and silicon and dyed hair.’

‘Ted Cruz is cruzin’ for a bruisin’ because you don’t mess with Texas tofu-eaters. Texans will cross all party lines to stand in the buffet line for homegrown and tasty tofu,’ a spokesperson for PETA told ABC News. 

The race for the senate seat has been hotting up in recent months and the Republican incumbent and O’Rourke have agreed to debate each other three times before the U.S. Senate election in November.

PETA explained the protest was about Cruz's recent comments that liberals want Texas 'to be just like California, right down to the tofu and silicon and dyed hair'

PETA explained the protest was about Cruz’s recent comments that liberals want Texas ‘to be just like California, right down to the tofu and silicon and dyed hair’

Members arrived at the Cruz rally with BBQ tofu samples and signs promoting tofu

Members arrived at the Cruz rally with BBQ tofu samples and signs promoting tofu

O’Rourke is a three-term congressman from El Paso who’s giving up his seat to challenge Cruz. The Republican was first elected to the Senate in 2012.

Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994, but O’Rourke’s campaign has attracted considerable attention nationally.

But O’Rourke is something of a rising star, and there has already been talk about him having what it takes to be a Democratic vice-presidential pick in 2020 or even the US President. 

He’s gaining so much attention that Trump tweeted that he plans to stage ‘a major rally’ for Cruz in October, a surprising move considering the Republican was expected to breeze through the process up until recently.

It follows his March appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher where the host  compared one a crowd’s reaction to being along the lines of ‘like when the Beatles came to America’.

In response to whether the national fame could hurt his appeal to Texans, his spokesman Chris Evans says it’s not something they can do much about now.

O'Rourke is something of a rising star, and there has already been talk about him having what it takes to be a Democratic vice-presidential pick in 2020 or even the US President.

O’Rourke is something of a rising star, and there has already been talk about him having what it takes to be a Democratic vice-presidential pick in 2020 or even the US President.

US Representative Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) speaks during a campaign rally in Plano, Texas, on September 15 

US Representative Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) speaks during a campaign rally in Plano, Texas, on September 15 

‘You can’t control it,’ he said about his client who spent 34 days of the congressional summer recess campaigning within the state. 

He added: ‘[It’s] hard to say we’re not focused on Texas.’  

He has managed to flip some residents , according to Associated Press.

Bob Radnich, a retiree who lives near the Texas-Mexico border and donned an Uncle Sam costume to hold up a ‘Stand with Wendy Davis’ sign on a street corner in 2014, is now backing O’Rourke.

‘He’s a real star,’ Radnich said. ‘But we have to get the people to vote.’ 

Democrats angered by Trump notched their highest mid-term primary turnout since 2002 in March, but O’Rourke got less than 650,000 votes.

About 1 million Democratic Senate ballots were cast between him and two-little known primary opponents, while Cruz netted more than 1.3 million votes. 

Even if O’Rourke wins over those Democratic primary voters who didn’t support him, he’s looking at a 300,000-plus vote deficit. 

McConnell, seen here with fellow GOP Leaders President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, is concerned about his party's chances in the November election

McConnell, seen here with fellow GOP Leaders President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, is concerned about his party’s chances in the November election

And, the more stories written about O’Rourke, the more energized Republicans may be to turn out to vote – and that’s what Cruz is counting on.

‘In Texas, there are a lot more conservatives than liberals,’ Cruz said following a recent campaign stop. ‘So, my task politically between now and Election Day is very simple, turn out conservatives.’

Cruz has tried to paint O’Rourke as the preferred candidate of non-Texans. But 68 percent of O’Rourke’s contributions during the Senate race have come from in-state donors compared to just 39 percent for Cruz, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

That feeds into O’Rourke’s promises to concentrate on representing Texas full-time and championing having visited all of its 254 counties during his campaign – in contrast to Cruz, who hit all 99 Iowa counties on his way to winning that state’s 2016 caucus.

Too much national hype, however, could make such promises sound hollow.

A poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University showed Cruz with a nine-point advantage over O’Rourke with 49 days to go until the election. 

  

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