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Pence visit marks campaign trail’s arrival in SE Iowa
FAIRFIELD — With the first Republican primary debate a week in the rearview and primary election night 130-something days away, candidates have started making the rounds in Southeast Iowa. Former Vice President Mike Pence’s visits to Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant Thursday kicked off the familiar season of politicking and handshaking for the rural corner of the state.
Visiting Creative Edge, a custom floor design company in Fairfield, Pence met with employees who showcased their work before sitting down for a meeting with area business owners.
“We actually came to Iowa to announce our plan to seek the Republican nomination,” he said. “There’s a process here that I’m now experiencing personally that I think is very good for America. It’s not all about the views on television, it’s not all about the commentary that takes place, it’s about being in living rooms and the loft of a barn — as we were a week ago — it’s about spending time with people.”
The former vice president told business leaders he heard their economic concerns loud and clear, and said he had a plan to fix inflation, gas prices and labor issues.
“President Biden continues to claim that ‘Bidenomics’ has been a success, but I hear differently, I see differently,” he said. “The reality is, that gush of spending in the early days of the Biden administration unleashed the worst inflation in 40 years. The war on energy has literally caused gasoline prices and energy prices to go through the roof … and the avalanche of regulations coming out of this administration is stifling growth.”
A few hours later and 23 miles away at the Old Threshers Reunion, Pence walked the grounds trailed by a gaggle of reporters representing both local and national news outlets.
Fielding a question about his campaign strategy, he acknowledged his significant lag in Iowa polls, which held his favorability around 2% a few days before the visit according to various FiveThirtyEight reports. While that was 42 points behind front-runner and Pence’s former running mate Donald Trump, Pence said he wasn’t too worried about the numbers this early in the race.
“I think it's early, it's not even Labor Day yet,” Pence said. “I don't need to tell you here in Iowa that the starting gunfire is really on Labor Day for election season.
“ … We'll let the polls do their thing, but I'm confident come Jan. 15 that we’re going to do well, because we're going to literally take our story to every corner of this state,” he continued. “And I'm more confident than ever that Republicans are ready for new leadership in our party. We've got to have in new leadership in Washington, D.C.”
When asked, he gave his reaction to former President Donald Trump pleading not guilty in the Georgia criminal case on charges of racketeering and conspiracy in connection with the 2020 election, a legal development that occurred earlier the same day.
“I think the former President's entitled to the same presumption of innocence that every American is entitled,” Pence said. “We want to be respectful of that. Allow that process to go forward. Allow him to make his case in a court of law.”
Despite the news of the not guilty plea, Pence maintained that his connection to the former President would not significantly influence his own run for the GOP nomination.
“I know I did my duty that day and I must tell you, walking down the midway here in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, I’ve been deeply moved how many people have stopped me to make a point to thank me for the fact that I kept my oath in the Constitution,” he said. “For my part, I know we did our duty that day, and the American people can be confident that if I'm President of the United States, I'll always keep my oath to the Constitution. So help me God.”
Ethan Graber, a Mt. Pleasant High School junior, was not confident he knew who he was looking at when the former vice president entered the First United Methodist Church’s eating area for lunch. Once his dad confirmed Pence’s identity, however, Ethan and his younger brother did not pass up the opportunity to meet the candidate.
“He seems like a neat guy,” Graber said. “He was asking me questions about the Governor Steer Show Project I worked on with Joe Mitchell. He was asking how the fundraising went and everything.”
The experience left Graber feeling star-struck, but also gave weight to Pence’s strategy to increase poll numbers by going to every corner of Iowa.
“Of course, I’m not voting age quite yet, but you hear everybody talking about all these politicians and to me it means a lot me that he would come out to little Mt. Pleasant Iowa to walk around and talk with people,” Graber said. “It means a lot to me. Old Threshers is our time of the year, you know, and he took the time out of his day to come out and walk around and check things out. I think that’s really neat.”
Pence isn’t the only one making moves in the area. Fellow Republican candidate and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina stopped in Fairfield for a fundraiser with U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks Thursday afternoon. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum had an Old Threshers visit of his own planned, but canceled ahead of time due to the candidate’s torn Achilles tendon, according to an email from his Iowa Campaign Director, Eric Woolson.
Though Miller-Meeks’ fundraiser in Fairfield was not open to the public, Scott spoke briefly to reporters after the event. He said that the theme of his campaign is protecting America, and that starts with “Backing the Blue.”
“Our law enforcement officers need more resources,” he said. “Our border needs to be completely closed, and we need to decouple our economy completely from China.”
Another of the overarching themes in his campaign is “restoring hope,” he said, and one of the most important issues on that front is school choice.
“School choice is the closest thing to magic, so the more kids have a better education, the more likely we are to have a better country,” Scott said.
Scott was asked how he would get the country out of debt. He said the first order of business on that front was “firing Joe Biden.” He said the secret to getting out of debt is growing the economy, which he said should be growing at 5 percent instead of the 1 percent he saw in the first quarter of the year. He also supported a balanced budget amendment to control spending.
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
