In Pictures

At Iowa’s state fair, presidential hopefuls make a bid for the US heartland

Republicans Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are expected to make appearances at the fair, a traditional campaign stop.

A view over the top of the crowds at the Iowa State Fair, as visitors filter past stalls for food and games. — The Iowa State Fair has long been a popular campaign stop for politicians vying for the presidency [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

By News Agencies

Corn dogs. Cattle shows. And a cow carved out of more than 270kg (600lbs) of butter. The Iowa State Fair is in full swing after opening on Thursday, and already, political contenders have descended on the eleven-day event, hoping to rally voters in the United States heartland.

So far, long-shots in the Republican presidential race have made early appearances to drum up momentum.

Former Vice President Mike Pence was spotted slinging pork chops. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez signed autographs. And North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum surprised crowds by saying he was looking forward to one particular fair delicacy: rattlesnake on a stick.

Some of the Republican heavy-hitters, including former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are likewise expected to hit the fairgrounds on Saturday, for what is anticipated to be one of the busiest days of the event.

Trump leads the Republican field in the 2024 presidential race by a wide margin, with DeSantis seen as his closest conservative rival. A July 31 poll from The New York Times and Siena College found 54 percent of Republican voters backed the former president over other Republican hopefuls, with DeSantis trailing at a distant 17 percent.

Trump’s continued popularity comes in spite of a growing slate of legal woes. He faces two federal criminal indictments, one state-level criminal indictment in New York and a civil defamation suit brought by the writer E Jean Carroll.

But the Iowa State Fair has long been a platform for politicians to humanise themselves — or attempt to do so. Candidates have already hopped on stage next to bales of straw to pitch themselves to voters at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.

And at the new “Fair-Side Chats” — a play on the “fireside chats” that endeared World War II-era President Franklin Roosevelt to radio listeners — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has offered a laidback platform for Republicans to share everything from energy policy to their funniest campaign moments.

Connecting with Iowa audiences is crucial, though. The state’s caucus remains the earliest presidential contest for Republican candidates hoping to land the party’s nomination.

Democrats, meanwhile, voted earlier this year to replace the Iowa caucus as the party’s first primary on the election calendar, a decision that upended more than 50 years of tradition. The move was a bid to appeal to a more diverse voter base: Iowa, a landlocked Midwestern state known for agriculture, is nearly 90 percent white.

A number of successful presidential candidates, however, have passed through the Iowa State Fair on their path to the White House.

Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter touted his bona fides as a peanut farmer in his appearance in 1976, months ahead of his win. And in 2007, Barack Obama joined his daughter Sasha on a bumper car ride, a little over a year before nabbing the presidency himself.

Even Trump made the pilgrimage in 2015 before making his successful bid for the White House, arriving in a self-branded helicopter.

A couple poses for a selfie in front of a cow sculpted from butter. — Melissa Bohnker and her husband Seth of Matawan, New Jersey, pose in front of the fair’s famous butter cow on August 11. The sculpture can take more than 16 hours to complete. [Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo]

A couple — Mike and Karen Pence — don red aprons and flip pork chops on a large grill. — The fair is a chance for political hopefuls to appeal to agricultural interests. Here, former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence grill pork chops at a stall for the Iowa Pork Producers Association. [Jeff Roberson/AP Photo]

An aerial view of dozens of plates carrying vegetables, as a pair of fair-goers peers at the food. — Prize produce is put on display at the Agriculture Building of the fair. Elsewhere, competitions are held for skills like hog calling and yodeling. [Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo]

Francis Suarez, wearing jeans and a polo shirt, reaches to shake hands with a fan, as he leans down from the stage of the Fair-Side Chat. — A new event for politicians is the ‘Fair-Side Chat’, hosted by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Here, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a presidential hopeful, reaches into the crowd to greet a supporter after taking the stage on August 11. [Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo]

A young man walks his cow past dairy farmers in the cattle barn of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. August 10, 2023. — The Iowa State Fair is a showcase for the state’s agriculture, but it is also a popular event, capable of drawing crowds of hundreds of thousands. Total attendance peaked in 2019 at 1,170,375 people. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

Larry Elder, wearing a baseball cap and a shirt that reads "Worked for my Privilege," pats a man on the shoulder. — Lesser-known Republican presidential candidates, like former talk show host Larry Elder, have appeared at the fair hoping to raise their profiles. The fair ends on August 20, just days before the first Republican presidential debate. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

Republican U.S. presidential candidate and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and his wife, Kathryn Burgum, look at honey at the stand, at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., August 11, 2023. — The Iowa State Fair is known for its array of snacks, including deep-fried Twinkies and sweet-corn ice cream. Here, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and his wife Kathryn inspect a stall serving honey. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

Kari Lake, former Republican candidate for Governor of Arizona, milks a cow in the cattle barn at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., August 11, 2023. — Not all the politicians at this year’s Iowa State Fair are racing for the presidency, though. After her failed bid for Arizona’s governorship, Republican Kari Lake was spotted milking a cow at the fair on August 11, ahead of a rumoured run for the Senate. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

Abigail Rogers, 21, sits with Corn, a Jersey cow, at the "I Milked a Cow" booth in the cattle barn in the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. August 10, 2023. — But even ordinary fair-goers are invited to join in the fun at the ‘I Milked a Cow’ booth. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Larry Elder, a former talk radio host, delivers his political soapbox speech as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. August 11, 2023. — Candidates like Larry Elder, pictured here, are invited to give a 20-minute pitch to voters at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox stage. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

A Livestock Control worker rides a horse around the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. August 10, 2023. — The Iowa State Fair, held every year in August, has become one of the most popular fairs in the US, in part because of its prominence as a springboard for political careers. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]