DES MOINES, Ia. — West Virginia Congressman Alex Mooney is on the campaign trail for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz in Iowa. Mooney, and a group of West Virginia College Republicans, have been actively participating in the Hawkeye state’s caucus, which is a different experience from the primary system used in West Virginia’s election.
“We wanted to experience an Iowa Caucus,” said Mooney. “We went knocking on doors. We knocked on 150 doors on Saturday.”
Mooney is campaigning for Cruz and actually appeared on CNN Saturday as a surrogate speaker for the Texas Republican Senator. Mooney is also chairing Cruz’s West Virginia campaign.
He said they encountered different kinds of reaction in their grassroots effort in Des Moines. Some were already committed to Cruz. Others were Donald Trump supporters and a few for Macro Rubio or Ben Carson. Mooney said the key is always voter turnout, but it’s especially important in a caucus.
“It’s just the last touch. We’re here at the last minute,” said Mooney. “The last candidate who presents themselves to the voter, might win the vote just for that last minute personal touch. That’s the goal.”
Mooney downplayed a controversial mailing from the Cruz campaign which has created a dust up in Iowa ahead of the caucus. The mailing seemed to indicate voters who received the mailing had been identified for failing to vote in previous elections, which is public record. However, critics said the mailing was misleading and threatening to voters, almost indicating the voter could be in trouble with the law if they didn’t show up at the polls. Mooney said it’s a new tactic that many campaigns, Republican and Democrat, have used in recent years as a way to spur more voter turnout. He laughed off the critics by say, “It’s just a mailer.”
“This is why the polls are so off, they’re having a hard time predicting who will turn out,” he said. “I think the Ted Cruz voters are highly motivated and he’s got a great organization out here with volunteers and grass roots.”
Mooney, speaking on MetroNews Talkline Monday said he was confident Cruz would carry the Republican caucus in Iowa.