MASON CITY, Iowa -- "He stood up for what he believes in, even though everybody in Washington hates him," said Toni Hagen, of Mason City, as she waited for Ted Cruz to address a full house at the Praise Community Church Friday morning.

Hagen wasn't alone. Talk to people who come to see Cruz as he travels the state on a six-day, 28-county tour, and you'll hear from many who like the idea that Cruz is hated in Washington. And not just Cruz supporters; a lot of Republicans here are drawn to a candidate who is disliked by the GOP establishment in the nation's capital.

"I think that's good," said Diana Symonds of Clear Lake.

"I find it attractive," said Chris Miller, who drove 150 miles from Golden Valley, Minnesota to see Cruz. (Miller was one of a number of Minnesotans who used the opportunity of Cruz appearing in northern Iowa to come down and take a look.) "I consider him an outsider, even though he's a senator," Miller continued.

"I think that's great," said a woman who declined to give her name.

"That's alright!" said Gerry Anderson of Owatonna, Minnesota, with a laugh.

Back in Washington, many Senate Republican insiders express deep hostility toward Cruz. Going back at least to the partial government shutdown of 2013, they feel he has grandstanded and rabble-roused and recklessly maneuvered the GOP into impossible positions, seriously damaging the party's brand for the purpose of building up his own.

On the campaign trail, Cruz uses their hostility as a selling point. "Washington despised Ronald Reagan," he told a crowd in Osage after the Mason City event. "When we launched this campaign, the New York Times promptly opined, 'Cruz cannot win, because the Washington elites despise him.' I kinda thought that was the whole point." Everyone laughed.

Cruz was introduced at his Iowa stops by Republican Rep. Steve King and social conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats. Noting that Vander Plaats said Cruz has a "titanium spine," one audience member asked Cruz, "Along with your titanium spine, do you have the brass ones to deal with ISIS?" Cruz took the question as an opportunity to explain the virtues of his discord with Republicans.

"When it comes to strength of spine, or other body parts, I'm a big believer that talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words," Cruz said. "And every Republican running right now is telling you they will stand up to Washington. Well, that leads to the natural follow-up question. OK, great, who actually has stood up to Washington? Who has taken on not just Democrats, but leaders in our own party? There is a reason that Steve King and I both need food tasters in the members' dining room."

After the Osage event, King said Cruz's unpopularity with the Washington Republican leadership is indeed a plus in Iowa. "I don't think there's any doubt that it is," King said. "I watch the response to that when Ted says it, and people light up."

I sent Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler an email asking how Cruz has made unpopularity work for him. Tyler sent back a response with no words at all but rather a graphic of a Gallup daily tracking poll on Republican candidate favorability taken between December 18 and January 5. Cruz was at the top of the chart, with 61 percent of Republicans saying they have a favorable opinion of him, versus 16 percent with an unfavorable opinion -- a 45-point net favorable rating that put Cruz ahead of Ben Carson (40 point net favorable), Marco Rubio (35), Donald Trump (24), and the rest of the GOP field.

No explanation required. The Republican establishment is held in such contempt that, when it comes to the party's base, a candidate's best way to get ahead is to be hated by all the right people.

Which leads to the conclusion that, as the campaign goes on, if Cruz has an opportunity to come back to Washington and mess with Republican leaders, he will have a strong incentive to do so. If irritating nearly the entire Washington GOP leadership has gotten Cruz this far, a little more can't hurt.