In August 2026, Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, CEO of the Buc-ee’s convenience store chain, stated that the company was prioritizing expansion in “conservative, business-friendly” states.
An online rumor spread in August 2026 claiming that the head of the popular southern convenience store chain Buc-ee’s announced the company would completely halt expansion into “blue states.”
Discussions across Facebook and a prominent Reddit thread claimed that CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III explicitly stated the brand was shifting its focus exclusively toward “conservative, business-friendly states.”
The statement itself was accurately attributed to Aplin.
Aplin made the remarks publicly on August 17 while celebrating the grand opening of a new Buc-ee’s in Benton, Arkansas, an event where he was introduced by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The complete video footage of Aplin’s speech is available on YouTube.
Beginning around the 2:11 mark, Aplin recounted how Sanders personally urged him to bring a location to Arkansas, noting:
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. And I’m starting to realize life’s too short to try and 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.
So that leadership, that concept, that idea of conservative, business-friendly, family-oriented concept, works so much better if it trickles down from the very leadership from the very top at the governor’s office.
According to a company press release, the Benton facility marks the chain’s 58th store and brings over 200 new jobs to the area. Established in 1982, Buc-ee’s primarily operates throughout the American South.
While local news outlets—including NBC affiliate KARK, CBS affiliate KTHV, and the Arkansas Democrat Gazette—covered the store’s opening extensively, their initial reporting did not highlight Aplin’s specific political remarks or mention any policy regarding avoiding Democratic-leaning states.
The discourse shifted on August 18 when Governor Sanders shared a clip of the speech on her Facebook page, adding the caption, “That’s why red states like Arkansas are surging and people and businesses are fleeing blue states.”
Subsequent coverage by The Comeback and Fox Business focused heavily on Aplin’s commentary and Sanders’ interpretation that the company was deliberately moving away from blue states. This follow-up media coverage fueled widespread online sharing and propelled the claim into viral territory.
Although interpreting Aplin’s words as a critique of non-conservative regions is reasonable, it is important to clarify that the CEO did not explicitly state the company would stop developing stores in blue states. Inquiries sent to Buc-ee’s regarding their future expansion strategy in politically diverse states remain unanswered.