Donald Trump and Ted Cruz battle for Iowa Republicans
Republican presidential contenders Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas scooted across Iowa on Saturday, their campaigns lobbing verbal firecrackers at each other nine days before the party’s caucuses.
In Ankeny, Cruz trotted out a high-profile celebrity endorser: conservative talk show host Glenn Beck.
“If Donald Trump wins, it’s going to be a snowball to hell,” Beck told more than 2,000 people gathered in the gym at Faith Baptist Bible College.
In Pella, Trump brushed away Beck’s announcement.
“Every time I see this guy, he’s crying,” Trump said of Beck. “He’s a wack job.”
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin endorsed Trump on Tuesday. Palin and Beck are considered popular with tea party Republicans in Iowa.
Cruz declined to directly engage in the back-and-forth — “I like Donald Trump,” he told supporters — but the barbed speeches and statements showed the higher stakes as both campaigns sprint to the finish line.
In Pella, Trump declared Cruz more fit for prime minister than president. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a popular figure in the state, spoke at the Trump rally but did not specifically endorse the New Yorker.
Trump and Cruz disagreed over immigration policy. Each accused the other of being in favor of amnesty for 12 million undocumented immigrants, a position especially unpopular with most Republicans in Iowa.
And there was a minor dust-up over a Trump statement earlier in the day. The businessman usually boasts about the depth of his popular support, and he did it again in Sioux Center.
“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” Trump said at a campaign rally.
In a meeting with reporters in Ankeny, Beck accused Trump of arrogance. Cruz downplayed the statement.
“I will let Donald speak for himself,” Cruz said.
“I can say I have no intention of shooting anybody in this campaign.”
Scott Canon: 816-234-4754, @ScottCanon
Dave Helling: 816-234-4656, @dhellingkc
This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Donald Trump and Ted Cruz battle for Iowa Republicans."