Iowa State Fair Soapbox highlights

Good morning, Iowa, and welcome to another week of politics at the Iowa State Fair! 

Over the weekend we saw a range of candidates take the stage and deliver an unfiltered appeal to the fairgoing faithful at the Des Moines Register's Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. 

It's one of my favorite events of the political cycle because we provide only the basics: a stage, a microphone and 20 minutes. It's up to the candidates to turn that into something bigger. They'll often bring supporters of their own to help fill out the crowd, but occasionally you'll catch Iowans pausing on the way to the corndog tent to take in the oratory. As a reporter, those are the moments I look for. 

My colleagues have already been hard at work chronicling some of the first speeches from the weekend.

Republican attorney general candidate Brenna Bird said Iowa needs an AG who will challenge President Joe Biden's administration in court and who is more visible to local law enforcement officials. 

Republican State Sen. Zach Nunn, who is opposing Democratic U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District, touted his homegrown roots, including playing in the high school marching band and taking his now-wife on a date to a rowdy East Side Night.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deidre DeJear told the audience she's been traveling the state listening to Iowans who have a vision to improve their communities but need a hand from state government. 

And Libertarian candidate Rick Stewart made a wide-ranging pitch for his gubernatorial campaign with proposals to legalize psychedelics, eliminate government mandates and return to a "one-room schoolhouse" school system.

And those are just a few of the highlights. We've got videos of every speech on our website. 

Today, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken and 4th District congressional candidate Ryan Melton, both Democrats, are on deck. 

This has been Chief Politics Reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel, eager to get my hands on a Bauder's peppermint bar at the fair this week. Send me an email with thoughts or questions (about politics or ice cream — I love both) at bpfann@dmreg.com.