The owners of Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in New Braunfels said they were unaware that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had scheduled an 8:30 a.m. “Come and Take It” campaign rally at their restaurant Saturday, Oct. 24, until the event was already underway.
Paxton is running against Democrat James Talarico for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
The barbecue chain, which was championed by former President George W. Bush in the early 2000’s, issued a statement at 10:48 a.m. Saturday stating it’s not in the business of endorsing political candidates.
“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 said in a social media post. “…This is the action of a rogue employee and was not authorized by ownership and will be addressed internally.”
However, the event was publicized in an Oct. 23 story in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and in several posts on the Comal County Republican Party’s Facebook page, where the public was invited to register for tickets.
Paxton was joined on stage by fellow Republicans U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa of California.
The Republican’s 18-day tour of Texas kicked off in mid-October with over 30 stops planned before a final push at the Alamo in San Antonio Nov. 3, the day before Election Day.
Bush has not endorsed either candidate, but prominent Bush family members like Barbara Bush, his daughter, and Neil Bush, his brother, back Talarico.
Cooper’s opened its second location in New Braunfels in 2008. It also owns restaurants in Austin, College Station, Fort Worth, Llano and Katy.