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FIRST ON FOX: It was an invitation from Iowa that almost all GOP presidential candidates had a hard time turning down.
Republican Governor Kim Reynolds invited the entire field of more than a dozen Republican White House candidates to join her in “Fair Side Chats” at the Iowa State Fair next month.
Nearly everyone accepted the invitation to participate in the one-on-one interviews in the state that derives the Republican presidential nomination calendar.
In an announcement first shared with Fox News Tuesday, Reynolds revealed her schedule for the “Fair Side Chats,” which includes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
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Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds speaks with guests before signing a law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy while visiting the Family Leadership Summit on July 14, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
However, not on the list of attendees is former President Trump, who is the leading front-runner in the latest GOP presidential nomination polls in Iowa, other early voting states and in national polls as he makes his third straight White House run.
Reynolds said the interviews will provide showgoers with “a unique opportunity to learn more about the candidates themselves and their policy priorities.”
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“I am so proud to have the opportunity to introduce these candidates to Iowans at an event so close to my heart,” Reynolds added in a statement. “The Iowa State Fair showcases the best of Iowa – from our people to our culture and wonderful agricultural industry – and is the perfect place to interview the candidates.”
The Iowa Caucuses exhibit at the State Historical Museum of Iowa, on January 15, 2020. (Fox news)
Held annually in August at the state fairgrounds in Des Moines, the Iowa State Fair has been a must-stop for presidential candidates from both major political parties in the year leading up to the nominating contests for decades.
Reynolds’ interviews will take place at JR’s South Pork Ranch on the fairgrounds.
Former nationally syndicated radio host and 2021 California election candidate Larry Edler is scheduled to appear at 10:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, August 10, the first day of the state fair.
The next day — Friday, August 11 — North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (8:30 AM CT), Pence (9:30 AM CT) and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (10:30 AM CT) will join Reynolds.
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Entrepreneur and political commentator Vivek Ramaswamy (8:30 AM CT), Haley (9:30 AM CT) and DeSantis (10:30 AM CT) team up with Reynolds on Saturday, August 12.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (8:30 a.m. CT), Texas businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley (9:30 a.m. CT) and Scott (10:30 a.m. CT) are scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 15.
Michigan businessman and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson (9:30 a.m. CT) and one-time CIA spy and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd (10:30 a.m. CT) will join the governor on Friday, August 18.
Former President Trump greets supporters accompanied by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds at a campaign rally in Davenport, Iowa, March 13, 2023. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Two weeks ago, Trump criticized Reynolds — a popular two-term governor — for remaining neutral in the running for the GOP presidential nomination race.
“I opened up the position of governor to Kim Reynolds, and when she fell behind, I SUPPORTED her, did big rallies, and she won. Now she wants to stay ‘NEUTRAL.'” “I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!” wrote the former president on Truth Social.
In 2017, Trump nominated longtime Republican Iowa governor Terry Branstad as US ambassador to China. Reynolds—lieutenant governor at the time—succeeded Branstad as governor. Trump endorsed Reynolds ahead of her narrow election in 2018 to a full term. Reynolds was easily re-elected last year with 19 points.
Reynolds’ pledge to remain neutral in the presidential race is in line with previous Iowa governors. Iowa’s all-Republican congressional delegation also remains neutral as the large field of 2024 presidential candidates descends on their state.
The governor joined Trump in Davenport in March, as the former president made his first stop in Iowa as a 2024 candidate. Reynolds did not join Trump when he returned to the state in early June and earlier this month.
Trump was widely criticized for his criticism of Reynolds, and a Republican senator who had supported the former president switched his support to DeSantis over the incident.
(Fox Business Poll shows former President Trump leading Iowa.)
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is making his second bid for the GOP nomination, also does not join Reynolds.
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Christie is focusing his campaign on New Hampshire, which is holding the first primary on the GOP calendar and the second overall contest behind Iowa, and South Carolina, which is voting third.
“New Hampshire and South Carolina will be our main focus. And that’s what we’ve intended from the beginning. You’ll see that’s what our travels reflect,” Christie told Fox News Monday. “I’m sure we’ll go to Iowa someday, probably for a debate. But I’m going to spend my time here in New Hampshire and South Carolina.”
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter from New Hampshire.
