Reynolds raises national profile at fair

DES MOINES — If there is anyone who comes close to Iowa Republican royalty, it’s Gov. Kim Reynolds.The popular governor was the star this month of the Iowa State Fair, interviewing Republican presidential candidates and leading them on tours of the fairgrounds. While providing a neutral forum for GOP presidential candidates, her “Fair-Side Chats” also have been an opportunity for Reynolds to advance her own brand as the eyes of the nation are on Iowa as the first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses approach.White House candidates took several opportunities during the chats to commend Reynolds for her leadership and conservative wins in Iowa. Governors in the field — Ron DeSantis, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson — have said Reynolds is a great colleague and applauded her leadership of the Republican Governors Association.

“How many of y’all love Kim Reynolds?” candidate Tim Scott, a U.S. senator from South Carolina, asked the crowd who came to watch him speak with the governor. After enthusiastic cheering from the crowd, Scott said, “It’s 100 percent.”

The chats have been far from a grilling session, and Reynolds has presented friendly questions allowing candidates leeway to touch on their signature campaign topics while presenting prescreened questions from Iowans on the economy and agriculture. She also used the chats as an opportunity to tout her conservative victories, like eliminating retirement income tax and implementing a multimillion-dollar school choice program.

“We are cutting taxes and regulation. We're empowering parents and giving them school choice,” Reynolds said in her first chat with California radio host Larry Elder. “Our national profile is rising. People are paying attention to what’s happening in Iowa.”

During the interviews, Reynolds asked candidates about policy issues like school choice, immigration and border security and the economy. She also asked all the candidates the same series of three lighthearted questions: about their humorous experiences on the campaign trail, their favorite State Fair food, and their favorite song to be introduced to at speaking events.

The question about “walkout” songs is what produced one of this year’s State Fair viral moments, when candidate Vivek Ramaswamy rapped along to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”