In a ritual that takes place every four years, presidential candidates have swooped into the Iowa State Fair to mingle with the throngs, and craft their pitches to the state's voters while occasionally addressing rural and agriculture issues that may seldom get mentioned later in the campaign.
President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hit the fair on Saturday. Several other GOP challengers, including former Vice President Mike Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, were on site Thursday and Friday.
Burgum, in a "fair-side chat" with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday, touted his goal of "energy independence," which he said could be achieved by more domestic production of oil and increased biofuel usage. He criticized the Biden administration's energy policy, which he said focused too much on electrification.
"It's basically a war on liquid fuels, that's what it is," Burgum said of President Joe Biden's energy policy. "And if it's a war on liquid fuels, it's a war on America, it's a war on manufacturing, it's a war on everybody that drives a vehicle, (and) it's a war on farmers."
When asked by Agri-Pulse where he stood on repealing agricultural tariffs left over from Trump's trade war with China, Burgum said the U.S. needs to look at "every single aspect" of its trade relationship with China.
"It's completely imbalanced right now," he said, adding that China is benefitting from reduced costs for Russian oil due to U.S. sanctions on Russia.
Reynolds, in the fair-side chat, also asked Burgum what agricultural issues he's most focused on with the expiration of the farm bill coming in September. Burgum said getting the farm bill done is a "food security issue." He said the Biden administration is "headed in the wrong direction" on agricultural policy, and he criticized the EPA's "waters of the U.S." rule, soon to be revised, that redefines the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.
"Everything they do makes it harder for our farmers," he said of the Biden administration.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who like Burgum was at the fair on both Thursday and Friday, didn't spend much time addressing agriculture in his appearances. He instead focused on other issues like the border, abortion and gas prices.
In an attempt to appeal to Iowa voters, he did tout his post-vice presidency purchase of a red pickup truck and a John Deere lawn mower with a 54-inch deck and zero turn radius.
Pence, in response to a question from Agri-Pulse about removing agricultural tariffs on China, touted a Phase One trade deal that was signed during his time as Vice President, but said the Biden Administration has "let a lot of it go by the board."
He said the U.S. needs to be "tough on China." He said China needs to end trade abuses and intellectual property theft.
"I know that agriculture is at the heart of the heartland and it's really the heart of the American people," Pence said. "It's a critical part of our nation's economic life and I'll be a champion for agriculture when I'm president."
Don't miss a beat sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! The latest on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. and around the country in agriculture, just click here.
Trump is the runaway leader in the polls nationally as well as in Iowa, which holds its caucuses Jan. 15. In the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls, Trump leads DeSantis 44% to 17%. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who will be at the fair next week, is third at 9.7%. Pence lags at 3%.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters at a press conference that he would continue to "invest" in technology as president, particularly when it comes to agriculture.
"I think I have a track record of supporting innovation and I think agriculture, like climate and a variety of other industry verticals, benefits from a pro-innovation type of candidate," Suarez said.
Tim Walz, a Democrat and current governor of Minnesota, was at the fair to campaign for Biden.
In response to a question from Agri-Pulse about why farmers should vote for Biden, he touted the current president's work on broadband deployment and infrastructure.
He also said Biden is "doing all he can" to get the farm bill done and criticized House Republicans, who he said will "derail" the measure.
For more news, go to www.agri-pulse.com.
