It’s not all too often you catch a U.S. Senate candidate waiting in line for ice cream at Penn State’s Berkey Creamery. But if you were on campus Monday afternoon, you might’ve seen just that.

Republican Jeff Bartos took a pitstop at Penn State Monday afternoon as part of his 12-day tour of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. During his sixth stop of the day, he enjoyed a cup of Bittersweet Mint ice cream and took a breather — something he says is easy to do in Centre County.

“What stands out to me more than anything is the beauty of the region — obviously the amazing history and the great people,” said Bartos, a Berks County native. “It’s kind of quintessentially Pennsylvania.”

Bartos’ campaign first traveled to the Creamery in 2018 when he ran for Lieutenant Governor. His staff said he’s been hooked on the Penn State delicacy ever since. In fact, they joked about packing up some pints to-go before hopping back on the bus.

Aside from ice cream, Bartos said he chose to visit Penn State because it combines strong academics with qualities Pennsylvania is known for — especially agriculture.

“We have one of the great research institutions in the world right here,” he said. “Not only in technology, not only in innovation, but in agriculture, which is Pennsylvania’s No. 1 industry.”

He spent much of our brief conversation Monday discussing the pandemic and its effects on Pennsylvania and small businesses. In a nutshell, though, Bartos says his campaign boils down to a few overarching goals.

“Everywhere I go, I talk about three things: I talk about saving ‘Main Street, Pennsylvania.’ I talk about beating China in this existential race of who’s going to lead the world over the rest of the century. And I talk about restoring the ‘American Dream’ for our children and grandchildren,” he said. “I think all three of those major themes have real resonance here in Centre County.”

Bartos’ tour of Pennsylvania continues Tuesday with stops in Perry, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Berks counties. He’ll wrap up on Saturday, July 31, with pitstops in Blair and Clarion counties.

So far, he’s one of six Republicans who’ve declared for the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania. Eight Democrats have also committed to running in the open-seat race. Incumbent Senator Pat Toomey said last year he won’t run for a third term in 2022.