Face of Nation : Blistering heat, pork chops on a stick, and lots of glad-handing are just a few of the things attendees can expect at the Iowa State Fair this year. In all, 23 Democratic presidential hopefuls and one Republican contender will make the annual pilgrimage to mingle with the first-in-the-nation caucusgoers.
In 2007, Barack Obama rode bumper cars with his daughter Sasha. In 2015, Donald Trump touched down in a helicopter near the fair — and offered kids a ride — at the same time Hillary Clinton was visiting. Rick Perry also made headlines that year thanks to an unfortunate photo with a corn dog.
Though the fair began in 1854, it didn’t become a required stop on the presidential campaign trail until a century later, when Dwight Eisenhower visited during his re-election bid. Since then,most presidential hopefuls have followed suit, touring the fairgrounds for photo ops and speaking to voters at The Des Moines Register’s longstanding Political Soapbox series. This year’s fair starts Thursday and ends next Saturday, Aug. 17. Sean Bagniewski, chair of the Polk County Democrats, says the fair often acts as a preview of what voters can expect from an eventual nominee in the general election. Candidates work to appeal to Republican, Democratic and independent Iowans alike, who flock to the fair from all 99 counties.
Veteran Des Moines Register political columnist David Yepsen calls the soapbox speeches “what we think of as old time politics.” Candidates stand on a small stage — much like the literal soapbox crate candidates of the past used — close to the audience. “There are some candidates that don’t do it, because they know they may attract a heckler,” Yepsen said. “They know that the cameras are on and you can make mistakes like Mitt Romney did.”
During a speech at the 2011 fair, hecklers shouted at Mitt Romney if he would raise taxes on corporations instead of the American people, prompting Romney’s now infamous line, “Corporations are people.” In 2015, protesters came within inches of both Chris Christie and Scott Walker. According to The Des Moines Register, all of the Democratic presidential candidates were invited to deliver soapbox speeches. While Republican contender Bill Weld will make an appearance, President Donald Trump is not scheduled to speak.
eff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, says that Trump’s presence will still be felt. “Donald Trump being in people’s hearts and minds, whether that be positive or negative depending on the political persuasion,” Kaufmann said. “We don’t have to worry about that.”
The Iowa GOP plans to host a photo booth where attendees can pose for pictures with cutouts of Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. The Republican Party will also have organizers on hand to recruit volunteers for Trump’s re-election effort while working to register voters and sign folks up to commit to caucus.
