Ted Cruz loves cheese. Just not cheeseheads.
KENOSHA, Wis. -- Ted Cruz declared himself a big cheese fan Monday at the Mars Cheese Castle — but he wouldn't show his love by donning the state's most iconic headwear.
Cruz literally ducked when a kid tried to toss one of Wisconsin's iconic rubber foam "Cheesehead" hats on him before declaring "funny hats" off-limits.
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A few minutes later, while sampling cheese curds, he explained his reasoning while explicitly ruling out any future oversized sombreros or helmets.
"There is an ironclad rule of politics: No funny hats. And any hat is by definition defined as a funny hat," he told reporters when asked why he wouldn't put one on.
"Michael Dukakis illustrated that powerfully when he put on a helmet and road in a tank," he continued.
Cruz then got a little... cheesy.
"The people of Wisconsin wear their cheeseheads so powerfully that I would not presume to intrude in the elegance with which the people of Wisconsin wear those hats," he said with a grin.
Cruz's refusal to don the hat could cheese off some locals...
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Though at least one former White House press secretary thought he'd made a smart move.
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Twitter was happy to disobey Cruz's command.
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But Cruz promised his discomfort with hats didn't extend to Wisconsin's top product.
"To be honest I like cheese on cheese — you can't go wrong with it," he said.
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Topics Elections
Cameron Joseph is Mashable’s Senior Politics Reporter, covering the 2016 presidential race. He has previously covered presidential and congressional races, the White House and Congress for the New York Daily News, The Hill and National Journal. He is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College, a contributor to the Almanac of American Politics, a music junkie, a Chicago native, and a long-suffering Cubs fan. Follow him on Twitter @cam_joseph.
