Ted Cruz found himself in a bad bit of publicity the evening before Iowa’s caucus, but refused to apologize for what many considered a poor-taste mailer sent out by his campaign.
The Cruz campaign sent a flyer out to Iowa voters, that resembled a government document, which read “VOTING VIOLATION.” The flier included names, grades, and percentage scores for each voter.
“Your individual voting history as well as your neighbors’ are public record,” reads the flier sent to voters. “Their scores are published below, and many of them will see your score as well. CAUCUS ON MONDAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE and please encourage your neighbors to caucus as well. A follow-up notice may be issued following Monday’s caucuses.”
Cruz, however, is not apologizing for the mailer.
“I will apologize to nobody for using every tool we can to encourage Iowa voters to come out and vote,” Cruz told reporters in Iowa.
All indications seem to imply that his tactic — combined with a massive ground game in Iowa — worked quite well indeed, as he walked away the victor in the hotly contested state. Now, Cruz has turned his sights back to Trump, and is continuing his efforts to frame his opponent as the most untrustworthy man out of the two.
The ad, titled “No More Deals,” accuses Trump of being a crony who is in bed with politicians. The ad insinuates that he will strike deals with Democrats and govern the same way as establishment Republicans like former House Speaker John Boehner and Senator Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The ad opens with clips of Trump praising Hillary Clinton.
“Hillary Clinton I think is a terrific woman. I’m a little biased because I’ve known her for years. I’ve known her and her husband for years and I really like them both a lot. I think she really works hard and I think she does a good job.”
“Looking at the record of Hillary Clinton and how did she do as Secretary of State, probably above and beyond everybody else, on everything else,” Trump says in the ad. The video then shows images of the attacks in Benghazi and a clip of Clinton famously saying, “What difference at this point does it make?”
As the two men jockey for the conservative vote, the attacks are likely to get nastier, and the tactics even harsher as the country comes closer to nominating the next leader of the Republican Party.
Each the ad below to see one of the first attacks of what may very well be a long, bitter rivalry.
