Buc-ee’s is making its politics harder to ignore as the Texas-born travel center giant maps out its next wave of expansion, with CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III openly saying the company sees an advantage in conservative, business-friendly states where leaders and communities are more enthusiastic about major development.
“We have a lot of opportunities. We’re growing. We’re building in a lot of places, but when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference,” Aplin said in a video shared by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders after Buc-ee’s opened its first Arkansas location in Benton.
“And I’m starting to realize life’s too short to try to build in places that people don’t appreciate what you’re bringing versus a place like this, where people do appreciate what you’re building,” Aplin continued.
The comments immediately gave the Buc-ee’s expansion strategy a political edge. While Aplin never used the word MAGA and did not say Buc-ee’s would limit future stores to states Donald Trump carried, many of the states where the chain has built its strongest footprint are Republican led. Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee are already central to the Buc-ee’s map, while Arkansas recently joined the list.
But the company has also expanded into states including Colorado, Missouri, Virginia, Ohio and Arizona, meaning “conservative” appears to be a preference rather than an absolute requirement. Buc-ee’s has also broken ground on a North Carolina location.
The reason appears to go beyond electoral politics. Buc-ee’s locations are massive projects that can require large parcels of land, highway access, significant traffic planning, utility coordination, and local government approvals. Aplin’s remarks suggest the company increasingly values states where elected officials view a Buc-ee’s as an economic development win instead of a project that has to fight through prolonged resistance.
That resistance has been real. Communities in Colorado, Virginia, and North Carolina have pushed back against Buc-ee’s projects over traffic and environmental concerns. At the same time, Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has praised the company’s expansion in her state, showing that Buc-ee’s reception does not always fall neatly along partisan lines.
Still, Aplin’s use of the word “conservative” is especially notable because his personal political giving has long tilted heavily Republican.
Campaign finance data compiled by Transparency USA shows Aplin has contributed millions of dollars in Texas politics since 2015, including repeated six-figure contributions to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. During the 2026 election cycle, the database lists $500,000 in contributions to Abbott, $200,000 to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and additional money to other Republican officeholders. ProPublica records also show Aplin has made large contributions to the Republican Governors Association. Those are Aplin’s personal political contributions, not donations attributed to Buc-ee’s as a corporation, but they provide additional context for his praise of conservative states.
The timing is especially messy because Buc-ee’s is already facing serious backlash from another Republican led state over one of its trademark battles.
Buc-ee’s sued Beaver’s Mini Mart in Beavercreek, Ohio, accusing the small business of using a beaver logo that could cause consumers to confuse it with Buc-ee’s famous mascot. The dispute quickly exploded beyond the courtroom. Residents rallied behind the mini mart, local businesses showed solidarity, boycott calls spread online, and Beavercreek officials formally embraced the beaver as part of the city’s history.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who had previously welcomed Buc-ee’s into the state, called the company’s decision to sue the local business “ridiculous.”
“To see this, that they’re coming after a small business like this, it upset me like it did a lot of Beavercreek residents,” resident Sam Bryan told WDTN.
The Ohio fight is far from Buc-ee’s first logo war. The company has filed more than a dozen trademark infringement lawsuits over the years, including disputes involving businesses using beavers and other cartoon animals. In 2018, a federal jury sided with Buc-ee’s in a case against Texas-based Choke Canyon, finding that the competitor’s alligator logo infringed Buc-ee’s branding.
More recently, Buc-ee’s sued South Carolina apparel company Born United over merchandise featuring a tactical beaver. The company also sued Florida oddities shop Prometheus Esoterica over alleged knockoff Buc-ee’s merchandise before the parties reached a settlement in 2026.
The company has also faced controversy involving its workers. In a widely reported employment case, Buc-ee’s sought tens of thousands of dollars from former assistant manager Kelley Rieves under a retention pay agreement after she left the company. A Texas appeals court ruled in 2017 that the repayment provisions were unenforceable restraints of trade, finding that they imposed a substantial penalty on an at will employee’s right to quit.
Buc-ee’s strict workplace rules have also attracted attention. Its official careers page says store employees cannot have visible tattoos, body piercings, tongue posts, or unnatural colored hair. Employees are expected to work weekends and holidays, though the chain advertises comparatively high wages, paid time off, insurance and a 401(k) match.
For a company once primarily famous for spotless bathrooms, Beaver Nuggets and massive roadside stores, Buc-ee’s is increasingly finding itself at the center of conversations about politics, corporate power and how aggressively a national brand should protect its territory. Aplin’s latest comments suggest Buc-ee’s may increasingly choose places where leaders are eager to roll out the welcome mat, and right now, the company believes conservative America offers plenty of them.
