Jill Disis

The Indianapolis Star

Is Sen. Ted Cruz too big for small towns?

No, but his plane might be.

The Republican presidential candidate was reportedly expected to rally Friday in Jasper, Ind. — a city of about 15,000 — but canceled the event because the campaign's plane was too big to land there, said Kit Miracle, the director of Jasper's arts commission.

"We were ready. We gave them the information," Miracle said. Shortly after, "they called and said the plane couldn't land at the local airport."

A Cruz campaign spokesperson declined to comment about the event, saying the senator's schedule has not been finalized.

The plane problem was first reported by the Dubois County Herald, a community newspaper in Jasper.

"... there was a lot of excitement and planning in the newsroom for about 30 minutes," the newspaper wrote on its Twitter feed.

The Herald reports that Cruz is expected to hold a rally in another southern Indiana area, though those plans have yet to be decided.

Travis McQueen, the manager of Huntingburg Airport in Dubois County, said he heard about the cancellation from the local newspaper.

McQueen said the airport is best suited for corporate jets that hold around 14 passengers, like a Cessna Citation X or Sovereign.

"When these campaigns fly around — like Trump's flying around in a (Boeing) 757 ... he's got to go to a larger airport like in Evansville or Indianapolis or Louisville," McQueen said.

McQueen said there have been plans to lengthen the runway, which could possibly allow larger planes in the future.

Miracle agreed, saying of the cancellation: "That's a good argument for a longer runway at the airport."

Contributing: IndyStar's Stephanie Wang