Santa Claus is being unwittingly used by Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign. The Republican hopeful plans to have the jolly man in the red suit on hand as he continues on his eight-state, 12-city Christmas tour.

.@TedCruz and Santa Claus. Full video here: https://t.co/Zc6pFwAFKe https://t.co/Ufzy1x82uo

— CSPAN (@cspan) December 18, 2015

Everyone who goes to see Ted Cruz can see Santa Claus, but in order to see the candidate, they must register–providing their name, email address, and zip code for the campaign’s website.

“It’s a great way to make sure we’re reaching out and touching as many people as possible,” Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier says.

A prospective Cruz voter named Katherine Schupe brought her two small children to see Santa Claus and Ted Cruz.

“Say Ted Cruz!” she said, as her children waved mini American flags in a scene decked out for Christmas.

It was Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe who came up with the idea of adding Santa Claus to their pre-Christmas campaign stops.

When he pitched the idea a week before the tour, “everyone was just kind of silent,” Catherine Frazier said.

The data-collecting Santa Claus at @tedcruz's rally in Daphne, Alabama: pic.twitter.com/sn1r4EkCZa

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) December 19, 2015

A man named Robin Hood (yes, it’s real) played Santa Claus in Virginia. Even though he was happy to work for the campaign, he stayed mum about which candidate he is supporting.

“I can’t really say,” he said. “It’s another one of those Santa secrets.”

What’s your take on Ted Cruz bringing Santa Claus along on his tour stops? Is Santa, in a way, a new political pawn?