Chronicle Editorial

Soapboxing at the state fair

It’s state fair time here in Iowa; a magical 11-day spectacle featuring a smorgasbord of events that draws visitors in from across the Midwest. People come from miles around for the amusement rides, great entertainment, delicious food and politicians?

     It’s hard to admit, but political candidates have become as synonymous with the Iowa State Fair as its beloved butter cow. Seven potential presidential hopefuls will swing through Iowa or visit the fair this year during its 11-day run Aug. 7-17. The dizzying parade of politicians is enough to make any voter’s head spin, if not make them want to hit it against a wall. We’re a year and a half away from the 2016 Iowa Caucuses, yet we’re still getting inundated by outsiders hoping to gain an edge with voters.

     It would appear Iowa’s electorate is too busy to care about presidential wannabes this year. We’re already knee-deep in federal congressional races, and statewide campaigns for the Iowa Legislature have entered a fever pitch recently. It seems like every politician in the state is running for an office at some level or another this summer. There’s little room for presidential hopefuls to nudge their way into the mix, but that’s not going to stop them from trying over the next two weeks.

     Iowa has already garnered its fair share of national attention this year. Republican figureheads like Ted Cruz, Chris Christie and Rand Paul have all visited the Hawkeye State at some point this summer, in addition to list of other conservative heavyweights. Rick Perry seems dead set on establishing a grassroots support network in Iowa despite his failed presidential bid in 2012. Once the fair wraps up, Perry with have spent 12 days in Iowa at 23 different events this year, according to the Des Moines Register.

     The reasoning behind these early bird campaign stops seems weak. GOP presidential hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty bet the farm on Iowa during the last election cycle, only to see their White House dreams dashed by more viable candidates once the campaign heated up. It’s clear Iowa and its first-in-the-nation caucus wields a powerful influence on the national level. However, courting the state’s electorate so prematurely seems futile at this stage in the race. Most people don’t want to listen to presidential candidates six months from the election, let alone two years.

     Iowa seems like the popular kid in high school right now – potential presidential candidates can’t get enough of us no matter how hard we try to sidestep them. Nonetheless, all of this is better than getting ignored. Voters in overlooked states like South Dakota, Wyoming or even Texas would probably relish in such overbearing attention from presidential hopefuls. But they’re not swings states, and Iowa is. Our indiscriminating political tastes will be our cross to bear now and in the immediate future.

     Time will tell if the early gamble pays off for these hopefuls. Some will flame out fast, while others will continue plugging along. Iowa has seen more than it’s fair share of one-and-done political hotshots over the years and we’ll see them again with this crop. It’s somewhat annoying we’re already dealing with them so far from the Iowa Caucuses, but like every other election, we’ll just have to grin and bear it.