Opinion: See 13 would-be presidents speak at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox

Carol Hunter, Des Moines Register
·4 min read

This week's opening of the Iowa State Fair also brings the return of the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.

Thirteen presidential candidates are scheduled to speak, starting on Thursday and continuing through Saturday, Aug. 19.

Since the Iowa State Fair’s founding in 1854, local, state and federal candidates and elected officials have flocked to the state's largest event to meet and greet Iowa voters. The fair even attracted a sitting president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1954.

And since 1972, when Iowa Democrats pushed their caucuses to the front of the line in the presidential nominating process, the State Fair has become an even greater magnet for presidential hopefuls.

A crowd of people gathers at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.
A crowd of people gathers at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

The Political Soapbox, held along the Grand Concourse in front of the Horner Service Center, offers candidates a stage, a microphone and 20 minutes to address fairgoers who are gathered to listen or happen to pass by.

Candidates can use the 20 minutes however they want. If raindrops start to fall or they sense the crowd is wilting under the sun’s glare, some cut their remarks short. Others go the full 20 minutes, until our timekeeper cuts them off. It’s up to the candidate whether to take audience questions. The Register news staff will provide coverage and on-demand video of the speeches.

The Register invited nearly 20 candidates who are seeking the Democratic, Libertarian or Republican nomination and met eligibility criteria such as campaign activity, political experience and fundraising.

I’m always disappointed when a few candidates each year decline this opportunity to address their would-be constituents in person. We'll still accommodate them if they change their minds.

Also, in a new addition to political activity at the fair, Gov. Kim Reynolds is hosting what she’s calling “Fair-Side Chats” with Republican candidates at JR’s SouthPork Ranch. The chats will be open to fairgoers and the media.

Some observers have sought to cast the two series of candidate appearances as rival events. I don’t see it that way. In addition to appearing at the Soapbox, candidates often make other appearances at the fair, such as doing interviews with ideologically friendly radio hosts. I view the governor’s chats in much the same vein.

At this stage of the campaign, candidates are still introducing their life stories and broad policy stances to Iowans. I think the more access that prospective caucusgoers can have to candidates, the better.

At the same time, I’m hopeful Iowans recognize events such as the chats for what they are: party-specific settings that allow candidates to tout their worldviews and accomplishments without having pesky journalists question the accuracy of their “facts” or the soundness of their reasoning. They fit a long-running trend of high-level candidates of all parties channeling their appearances to campaign- or party-organized events geared to sympathetic partisans, while limiting their participation in journalist interviews, debates or other events that might draw a more skeptical audience.

Granted, the Soapbox itself allows candidates to control their message with little to no challenge for 20 minutes. Most accept our request to take questions afterward from Register, state and national journalists. And lots of other Register coverage from now through caucus night on Jan. 15 will pose tough questions, examine the accuracy of candidate talking points and analyze policy positions.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Des Moines Register Soapbox during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Des Moines Register Soapbox during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Whatever your political persuasion, I hope you’ll come out to hear from as many candidates as possible at the Soapbox. It’s interesting to learn more about the candidates' life journeys and how their experiences have shaped their views.

See the butter cow, grab a corndog and a cup of Barksdale’s State Fair Cookies, and get a heaping side helping of politics. And given the vagaries of Iowa weather, remember the sunscreen — and an umbrella.

Carol Hunter is the Register’s executive editor. She wants to hear your questions, story ideas or concerns at 515-284-8545, chunter@registermedia.com, or on Twitter: @carolhunter.

The 2023 Des Moines Register Political Soapbox schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 10

  • 1:30 p.m.: Republican Doug Burgum

  • 4:30 p.m.: Republican Mike Pence

Friday, Aug. 11

  • 11:15 a.m.: Republican Francis Suarez

  • Noon: Republican Perry Johnson

  • 1:30 p.m.: Republican Larry Elder

Saturday, Aug. 12

  • 11:15 a.m.: Republican Ryan Binkley

  • Noon: Republican Vivek Ramaswamy

  • 1:30 p.m.: Democrat Marianne Williamson

  • 2:15 p.m.: Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

  • 3 p.m.: Republican Nikki Haley

Friday Aug. 18

  • Noon: Republican Will Hurd

Saturday, Aug. 19

  • 2:15 p.m. Libertarian Chase Oliver

  • 4:30 p.m. Republican Asa Hutchinson

The schedule is subject to change. Go to DesMoinesRegister.com/Soapbox to see the latest schedule and to find coverage all fair long.

You can also follow updates with our free Iowa Politics Newsletter. Get signed up at DesMoinesRegister.com/PoliticsNewsletter.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: See presidential candidates at Register Political Soapbox