amna: Butter, cows, corn dogs,
and politics.
These are just a few of the
things top of mind for iowans as
they kick off the country's 3rd
largest fair this weekend.
In attendance, nearly every
major GOP presidential candidate
vying for the hearts and minds
of the hawkeyes ahead of the
state's January caucus.
Our own Lisa Desjardins has been
catching up with these
candidates as well as voters on
the ground and she joins me now.
Good to see you.
We are still months away from
that caucus, but what kind of
separation are we already seeing
emerge in the Republican field?
Lisa: I think what you find from
voters here is something we see
in polls.
Talking to them on the ground in
Iowa, year three categories of
Republicans -- one, former
president trump and a category
by himself, way out ahead, and
then Ron Desantis.
And the third category is
everyone else.
Let's look at the entire
Republican field or at least the
top 11 candidates right now.
It's a big field.
We have seen bigger in the past
but still plenty for iu once a
talk about your one separation,
-- talk about.
One separation, qualifying for
the debate.
Just ate have qualified.
That's why events like this are
so critical for candidates like
the Miami mayor, Francis Suarez.
Here is what he told me today.
>> It's critical because for me,
it's the first opportunity to be
on an equal footing with eight
other national figures.
I'm probably the only one that's
not a national figure, so I'm
the one that needs the most
volume and the most time.
Not that I'll get more volume in
time than them.
Lisa: That's one of the first is
here, but there are others who
know they need momentum.
One of those is former vice
president Mike pence.
He is from two states over and
if he cannot do well in Iowa, he
knows he has a major problem.
I asked how does he gain ground
against the president he was
vice president for?
He initially said stay tuned, so
I followed up.
What exactly are you going to do
here in Iowa?
Tell me what you mean?
>> You know, when I got my first
job at a gas station, when I was
growing up, one of my dad's gas
stations.
I was trying to figure out how
to get the people there to
respect me.
My dad gave me a piece of
advice.
He said, outwork them.
And I did.
And they all became my best
friends.
And I promise you, nobody is
going to work harder in Iowa and
New Hampshire, South Carolina,
Nevada, or any state in this
country than Mike and Karen
pence.
Lisa: So many dynamics right now
in Iowa.
He said he will outwork everyone
else, but he was asked a
question about someone who said,
you were a triator -- traitor, a
trump supporter called him that.
He's dealing with a lot of
dynamics.
Amna: When you talk to voters on
the ground in Iowa, what are you
hearing, who are they paying
attention to and which
candidates arepiquing their
interest?
Lisa: The state fair is about
what is your favorite new food
and Iowa Republicans are sort of
the same thing, they like to
browse around.
There are two names I keep
hearing more and more.
One, North Dakota governor Doug
burgum.
His name has come up a number of
times.
They like his midwestern
sensibility, they think he is a
can-do guy, not a career
politician, he's had success in
North Dakota and has a
straightforward message for they
don't see him as a bomb thrower,
they think he could compete with
Joe Biden.
He's down in the polls right now
but making a name.
The other name we've heard a lot
is Tim Scott, the South Carolina
senator has not into the state
fair yet, he will be here in
about a week or so.
He is someone a lot of
Republicans say they like, that
he has a message more on the
positive side.
They think he doesn't have the
baggage and drama, as one person
told me, of former president
trump or even governor Desantis
we will see if those two get
momentum.
Amna: There are a number of
court cases, including also
former president trump's
indictments hovering over this
election.
We also have a special counsel
appointed to investigate the
hunter Biden case.
How do folks on the ground there
look at those issues?
Lisa: This was breaking while we
were here and we saw the ranking
Republican on the senate
judiciary committee, chuck
grassley, at the fair, and we
asked him what he thinks.
>> Is the first time I heard of
it, sounds to me it should've
been done along time ago.
Lisa: That was generally the
reaction early this morning as
news was breaking, Republicans
applauding this.
A sentiment from any voters that
they know about the hunter Biden
case, it is a phrase in the
minds of iowans.
We talked to some who felt
things are not there.
Here are some voters we talked
to.
>> I think there needs to stop
being two sets of rules
some for Republicans, some for
Democrats.
Should be the same for
everybody.
>> It is way too biased.
Lisa: Initially there was a lot
of applause for the decision.
As news stories came out, there
was more skepticism about what
it would mean.
What might affect Iowa more is
the date of president trump's
trial.
There is a proposal for it to be
in January.
Former president trump put out a
statement saying he sees that as
election interference in the
Iowa caucuses.
No one in Iowa wants to see the
front runner candidate in a
trial two weeks before their
caucuses.
I spoke to the chairman of the
Republican party here and he
says he thinks if the trial is
scheduled for January would only
help trump.
Amna: Lisa reporting from the
Iowa state fair as campaign 2024
is well underway.
Good to see you, thank you.
♪♪