Rural Economic Pain Tests the GOP’s Grip

“The arrival of late-summer state fairs, like the one here that features a prizewinning boar weighing 1,246 pounds, signals to the political world that the midterm campaign’s final chapter is just ahead,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“As Iowa’s 11-day extravaganza started late last week, the state’s Republicans found themselves in an unfamiliar position: trailing Democrats in a top race and facing serious challenges in several others.”

“Some GOP candidates didn’t mention President Trump—viewed more unfavorably than favorably in a recent Fox News poll of Iowa voters—during their highest-profile fair appearances. Democrats, meanwhile, are pouring millions into the state’s races, as rural economic pain from Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran erodes GOP support amid stagnant grain prices and higher fuel and fertilizer costs.”