State fair brings out presidential hopefuls

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By Charlotte Eby | Wednesday, August 9, 2006 1:24 AM CDT | () comments

DES MOINES — People chowing down on corn dogs and funnel cakes at the Iowa State Fair also will get a taste of presidential politics and a chance to bump elbows with the many politicians considering a run for president in 2008.

The 11-day fair, which begins Thursday, will be visited by several faces recognizable to Iowans and a few candidates still trying to make an impression on the voters who get first crack at picking the parties’ presidential nominees via the caucuses.

Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich will sign books for fairgoers Friday at the Republican Party of Iowa booth inside the Varied Industries Building. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will swing by the fair Tuesday, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is tentatively slated to attend Aug. 18.

Fairgoers can expect to see 2008 presidential hopefuls trailed by reporters and TV cameras chronicling their forays into the cattle barn, along the carnival midway or sampling the fair’s culinary delights.

“A lot of Iowans come to the state fair. It’s a good place to meet a lot of people and see what Iowa’s all about,” said Sarah Sauber, a spokeswoman for the Republican Party of Iowa.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, fresh from a trip to the key presidential primary state of South Carolina, will make several appearances at the fair, his last as governor.

Vilsack is set to participate in the State Fair parade and hand out lifesaving awards to Iowa heroes, an honor bestowed annually at the fair.

Vilsack’s steer, named Commander-In-Beef, will be auctioned off during the governor’s charity steer show. Vilsack also will meet with a delegation of foreign journalists covering the fair.

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., will tour the fair Monday during a trip to the state that will include stops in Ames, Waverly, Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids. The visit to the fair marks Bayh’s seventh trip to Iowa overall and his fifth this year.

Campaign spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said eating state fair food is on the agenda.

“He’s going to have to have something fried for breakfast,” Pfeiffer said of Bayh.

Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses are still more than a year away, but history has shown it is not too early for candidates to begin testing the waters at an event laden with friendly crowds and photo opportunities of candidates flipping pork chops and showing cattle.

A few years back, when U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., was ramping up his campaign for president, he created a spectacle near the fair’s Grand Concourse when he stopped to try a deep-fried Twinkie while TV cameras and reporters jostled for position.

Former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer said the fair is a chance to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds in a short period of time as well as provide an appealing setting for photos.

“The fair is crowded and packed, and it’s a great opportunity to see and be seen,” he said.

Charlotte Eby can be contacted at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.