{"id":1998546,"date":"2023-08-12T04:43:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-12T08:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-state-fair-do-or-die-soapbox-gives-gop-presidential-underdogs-a-shot-at-debate-stage\/"},"modified":"2023-08-12T04:46:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-12T08:46:55","slug":"iowa-state-fair-do-or-die-soapbox-gives-gop-presidential-underdogs-a-shot-at-debate-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-state-fair-do-or-die-soapbox-gives-gop-presidential-underdogs-a-shot-at-debate-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Iowa State Fair Soapbox: GOP Underdogs&#8217; Shot at Debate Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fiowa-state-fair-do-or-die-soapbox-gives-gop-presidential-underdogs-a-shot-at-debate-stage%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1998546&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>2024 Republican Presidential \u200cAspirants\u200c Struggle to Stand Out at\u200d Iowa State Fair<\/h2>\n<p>DES MOINES, Iowa\u2014Day two of the Iowa State Fair may have \u2062been the last stands \u200bfor three 2024 Republican presidential aspirants struggling to gain traction in a 13-candidate field dominated by former President Donald\u200b Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Michigan \u200dmagnate Perry Johnson, and conservative radio commentator Larry Elder, \u2062Jr., \u2064all took to the\u2063 haystack-framed stage at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Aug. 12, the unassuming\u200c yet fabled off-midway venue where, for decades, favorites\u200d have seen\u2064 ambitions dissolve like cotton candy in a dunk tank and where underdogs \u200bfound their legs to become presidents.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDid you think that Donald Trump\u2063 would win?\u201d Mr. Elder asked reporters at his post-stump gaggle under a tent in a shady grove after delivering his 20-minute spiel under a bright sun in 90-plus degree heat.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/kari-lake-steals-the-show-at-iowa-state-fair-milking-cows-and-eyeing-senate-race-5460601\">Kari \u2062Lake\u200c Steals the Show at Iowa State Fair: Milking \u2064Cows and Eyeing Senate Race<\/a> (8\/12\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/gop-candidates-descend-on-iowa-state-fair-ahead-of-first-debate-5460326\">GOP Candidates\u2064 Descend\u200b on Iowa State\u200c Fair \u200bAhead of First Debate<\/a> (8\/11\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/miami-mayor-francis-suarez-says-hes-met-donor-threshold-for-first-gop-presidential-debate-5453757\">Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Says He&#8217;s Met Donor Threshold for\u2063 First GOP Presidential Debate<\/a> (8\/9\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cYou ever\u200b heard of Bill Clinton\u201d before the little-known former Arkansas\u200b governor\u200d wowed the folks at\u2063 the Iowa State Fair in 1991 and went on to be a two-term \u200dpresident?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously,\u201d he continued, \u201cthings have a long way to go between now and the first vote, which is here in Iowa on\u200b Jan. 15. Anything can happen. \u200bTrust me. We have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I, for one, was absolutely certain that Jeb Bush\u2062 was going to be the\u2064 nominee \u2063in 2015. There \u2063was no \u2063question in my mind,\u201d Mr. \u200bJohnson said after his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-they-brought-the-heater\/\" title=\"How They Brought the Heater\">soapbox speech<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cHe \u200dhad \u200ca brother who was president\u200b and a \u200cfather who was president.\u2062 He had $104 million in the coffers. He had an infrastructure that was\u2064 unequaled. And he had all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-candidate-will-forgo-salary-if-elected-governor\/\" title=\"Virginia Candidate Will Forgo Salary if Elected Governor\">political connections<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But there\u2019s not much time\u201410 days\u2014to qualify for the first Republican\u2062 National Committee (RNC) presidential candidate \u200ddebate on Aug.\u2062 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<p>RNC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/rnc-unveils-2024-presidential-debate-rules-amid-uncertainty-about-trumps-attendance-5308985?utm_source=open&#038;utm_medium=search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">debate qualifications<\/a> require candidates to poll at least 1 percent in three national polls, or 1 percent in two national polls and 1\u200d percent\u200b in one of the four early Republican primary states\u2014Iowa, New\u2064 Hampshire, Nevada, and South \u200cCarolina\u2014by Aug.\u2064 21.<\/p>\n<p>Debate\u2063 qualifiers must also \u2062garner at least 40,000\u200d \u201cunique\u201d\u2062 donors, including at least 200 \u201cunique\u201d donors\u200d from 20 or more \u200cstates and territories.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:640px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Republican presidential\u200d candidate\u200c Larry Elder\u2062 speaks at the Iowa\u200d State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 11, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch\u200b Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For Messrs. Elder, Johnson, and \u200cSuarez, as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug\u2063 Burgum, Texas pastor and entrepreneur Ryan Binkley, and \u200bformer \u200bRep. Will\u200d Hurd (R-Texas), not getting on the debate stage could be the death knells for\u200d their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/struggling-campaigns-scrambling-to-qualify-for-first-gop-presidential-debate-1-at-a-time\/\" title=\"Campaigns Struggle to Qualify for GOP Debate, One Dollar at a Time\">long-shot campaigns<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re doing everything we can do in the next 10 days,\u201d\u200d Mr. Suarez said, including\u200b a raffle for tickets to watch soccer legend Lionel\u2063 Messi play with his new \u2062team in Miami in exchange for campaign contributions\u200d as \u2062little as $1.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve\u2063 overcome a lot, including not even being\u2064 listed in \u200bmany polls,\u201d he said, echoing a complaint several \u200b\u201cundercard\u201d candidates have voiced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe people who I\u2019m running against \u200cright now are national figures for many, many years. I\u2019ve been a national figure\u2062 for 60 days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Suarez is still short of the needed 40,000 contributors but has qualified \u200cin polling. He thanked Iowans for\u200c giving him his first polling qualification \u2063but hinted that if he \u200ccan\u2019t make the Aug. 23 debate stage, he may pull the \u2064plug on his campaign<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy job is to connect\u2062 with people to meet that threshold. If you can\u2019t meet\u2064 the minimum thresholds, you shouldn\u2019t be\u200b trying to take \u200ctime and volume away from people \u2063that do,\u201d he said \u200bduring his post-stump gaggle.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Republican presidential candidate Perry\u200c Johnson speaks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 11, 2023. (Madalina \u2062Vasiliu\/The \u2062Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Crunch Time Is\u200d Here<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Johnson said he\u2019s secured more than 52,000 individual donors but has not met the polling threshold. He was aiming to raise awareness of his \u200d\u2018Restore the American Dream\u2019 campaign with a rally,\u2064 and concert at a Des Moines waterpark on Aug. 12 featuring \u2063the country duo Big\u200c &#038; Rich.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The bottom line is, I will be on that stage,&#8221; he said,\u200d so confident that he\u2019ll qualify that he\u2019s started debate prep with his team.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Elder said he was about 15,000 donors short of \u200cqualifying and has \u200bnot met the polling qualifications but \u201cat the pace\u201d of swelling support, he\u2019s confident he\u2063 will be on stage\u2062 in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I make\u2064 the \u2064first \u2062debate stage, I think\u200d it\u2019ll resonate with a lot of people. I feel \u2062like I \u200bhave a strong message and that people hear that message,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Among the issues\u200d Mr. Elder has \u2062raised in his campaign is \u201cthe \u2063need for school choice. The absolute crisis of fatherlessness. The need to\u2063 fix the \u2062Constitution so that we can tie the budget to a certain percentage of \u2064the \u200dGDP as a way to get\u2064 rid of the swamp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several of his platform planks are \u2062issues\u2014especially the \u201ccrisis of fatherlessness\u201d\u2014that other candidates aren\u2019t talking about. He said his campaign is spotlighting things the nation\u2019s leaders must address.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the unlikely event I&#8217;m\u200b not nominated, hopefully, the nominee will be speaking about this issue,\u201d Mr. Elder said.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A Perry Johnson campaign staffer hands out free \u2063tickets to Iowa State Fairgoers on Aug.\u200b 11 to the underdog Republican presidential candidate\u2019s \u2018Restore\u200b the American Dream\u2019 rally \u200band concert\u200b at a Des Moines\u2062 waterpark featuring the country duo Big &#038; Rich on Aug. 12. (Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Day Three: Trump,\u2063 DeSantis, RFK Jr.<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. \u2063Johnson touted his \u201cTwo Cent Plan\u201d to cut the federal spending\u2064 that has spurred inflation and put the nation $33 trillion in debt, which, he said, equates to\u2063 $610 a month\u2063 just interest for every\u200d family in America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe\u200d plan is very simple. We&#8217;re going\u2064 to freeze the \u2062budget and cut 2 \u2063cents of every dollar of discretionary spending,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spent my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-state-fair-do-or-die-soapbox-gives-gop-presidential-underdogs-a-shot-at-debate-stage\/\" title=\"Iowa State Fair Soapbox: GOP Underdogs' Shot at Debate Stage\">entire life bringing quality<\/a> and efficiency to companies, and now \u200cI want to bring it to the federal \u200cgovernment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Johnson\u2014like nearly\u200d all the Republican candidates\u2014said \u201cthe second\u2064 thing I&#8217;m going to do is shut down the Department of\u200d Education (DOE). Eight percent of all the\u200c money that&#8217;s collected goes \u2062to\u2064 grades K-through-12.\u2063 So, what I&#8217;m going\u200c to do is get rid of 4,300 of\u2063 those 4,400 (DOE) people, and we&#8217;re going \u200dto then ship the money directly to the states,\u200b and they can distribute it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Suarez, who sat\u2063 down with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for a &#8220;Fair Side Chat&#8221; \u200cbefore making his Des Moines Register soapbox pitch, said he would be \u201can absolutely impossible \u2063candidate for Democrats to beat\u201d because he can sway \u201cthree core constituencies\u201d\u2062 of the Democratic Party to the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be like an incredible victory if\u2064 we \u200ccould win Hispanics, if we could win urban voters, both of which I&#8217;ve done already\u2064 in my community,\u201d\u2064 said Mr. Suarez, the only\u200c Republican\u200c mayor among the 10 biggest cities in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>He said 20 percent of the nation\u2019s Hispanics are unde<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Michigan magnate Perry Johnson, and radio commentator Larry Elder, Jr., faced a tough battle for attention on day two of the Iowa State Fair. With a crowded field of 13 candidates, dominated by former President Donald Trump, their chances of gaining traction seemed slim.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":509,"featured_media":1998547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1998546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1998546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1998546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1998546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1998547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1998546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1998546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1998546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}