Republican supporters gathering in New Braunfels is nothing new; the city votes 64% Republican, according to Best Neighborhood’s demographic map. However, the world of politics and Texas barbecue, apparently, do not go hand in hand.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Senator Ted Cruz held a rally in New Braunfels on Saturday, October 24, in support of Paxton’s U.S. Senate race against James Talarico. The event was held inside Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, but the barbecue joint quickly distanced itself from the Senate race, blaming the event on a “rogue employee.”
“Ownership of Cooper’s in New Braunfels had no knowledge beforehand that Ken Paxton was going to be allowed to hold an event at our location this morning,” Cooper’s wrote on Facebook the morning of the rally. “We are not in the business of endorsing political candidates. This is the action of a rogue employee and was not authorized by ownership and will be addressed internally.”
MySA has reached out to Cooper’s for more information on how the rally took place without the owner’s knowledge or permission, as well as what happened to the “rogue employee.”
Paxton posted images from the rally on Facebook, writing, “Honored to be joined by my friend Ted Cruz in New Braunfels yesterday. I look forward to working alongside him in the U.S. Senate to deliver for the Great State of Texas!”
However, Paxton’s detractors quickly pointed out the seemingly small crowd, writing comments like, “Is this rally held at someone’s man cave?” and “Having a rally at a McDonald’s is wild.” The crowd-size critiques also came up when Paxton and President Donald Trump rallied together at San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum, with many calling out that the venue roped off half the stadium, revealing it was far from a sellout crowd.
Cooper’s has served New Braunfels residents since opening in 2008. The restaurant is one of four offshoots of the original Llano smokehouse, with additional barbecue joints operating in Austin, College Station and Fort Worth. If you’re not sure what to try, Cooper’s serves everything from pork chops and sausage to prime rib and brisket.