In Iowa, the polls have Hillary Clinton as a clear frontrunner in the Democratic caucuses. But based on the crowds at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, you would think she was neck and neck with Bernie Sanders.

The former secretary of state and the Vermont senator both appeared at the fair, seeking to court potential voters. But only Sanders, who this week led Clinton for the first time in New Hampshire, another early voting state, held a formal event. Appearing on the Des Moines Register soapbox, he addressed a crowd of approximately a thousand.

Sanders, who is not a registered Democrat and self-identifies as a democratic socialist, gave a familiar stump speech on progressive themes such as single-payer healthcare, rapped out in his trademark staccato delivery. His audience seemed unable to allow him to speak more than two sentences without a cheer and a round of applause.

Sanders also touched on issues of racial justice. He praised “people of Iowa for their courage in supporting Barack Obama in 2008”, which he said showed “that a state that is mostly white can go beyond a candidate’s skin and vote for them based on their character”.

Sanders segued from that into issues recently brought to his attention – through interruptions of his speeches – by members of the Black Lives Matter movement. He mentioned two African Americans who died at hands of police or in police custody, Sandra Bland and Samuel DuBose, by name. He also drew a huge round of applause for calling for an end to private corporations running prisons.



The crowd was markedly diverse, ranging from visibly leftwing activists to shirtless men with chest tattoos. They shouted for their idol in ad hoc fashion, with cheers of “Bernie, Bernie” and shouts of “Feel The Bern”. One attendee, high-schooler Molly Kresse, will be a first-time voter in 2016. She raved about Sanders.

“He seems the most approachable and not removed from the people,” she said, adding that she really admired the senator’s stance on global warming as well as the way his campaign communicated via email.

In marked contrast, Clinton spent about an hour walking the fairgrounds, without making a speech. The former secretary of state admired the famous “butter cow”, though she seemed to be more enthusiastic about a butter statue of “Rich Uncle Pennybags”, the mascot of the board game Monopoly.

“I love it,” she proclaimed.

Wherever Clinton went, she was surrounded by a pack of press and sightseers. Fairgoers cried out “Hillary” and “I love you, Hillary” as, surrounded by secret service agents, she slowly made her way through the packed fairgrounds. Clinton rarely stopped for extended conversations – the press of the crowd made it far too difficult – but she did briefly chat with the sister of the long-time Iowa Democratic powerbroker Jerry Crawford and a major Des Moines real-estate developer, Bill Knapp.

Donald Trump waves at the crowd. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP

Eventually, she left – carrying a pork chop on a stick and cup of lemonade – having seemingly not broken a sweat on a hot summer day. By the end of his impassioned speech, in contrast, Sanders was visibly perspiring.

Both Democratic contenders also had to contend with the other major candidate at the fair on Saturday. The Republican insurgent Donald Trump, complete with helicopter, made a campaign appearance.

The chopper buzzed over Clinton, who looked up as people shouted “Trump!” Sanders had to contend with more noise as he spoke. His initial reaction was to shrug and say: “There’s Donald Trump. What can we do?” As the helicopter passed by and the boos brought forth by Trump’s name faded away, Sanders mockingly apologized to the crowd.

“I left the helicopter at home,” he said. “Forgot to bring it.”

Both Sanders and Clinton drew swarms of impassioned fans to the fair – it seemed some attendees were willing to trample each other for a selfie with Clinton. Now the question is which candidate can best harness such Iowan enthusiasm.