Just got this from Progress Iowa. Thought I would pass it along as it has some great suggestions / ideas

It’s State Fair time!

Today, we’re out holding our lawmakers accountable as they put on a show at the fair! So, we won’t have a Progress Iowa briefing today, but we’ve got great guidance for you instead! We’ll be back on August 28 ready to keep up the fight.

As politicians and elected officials take to the State Fair Soapbox to plead their case, too many of them are skipping the harder conversation: the public town halls where constituents show up to ask tough questions about rising costs, disappearing services, and the policies putting Iowa families underwater.

Below, we’ve put together messaging, social posts, and questions you can bring to the fair to make sure they hear from Iowans, not just the cameras.

Can You Afford the State Fair? Message Guidance

The State Fair should be a place for Iowa families to make memories, not calculate whether they can afford another lemonade, meal or tank of gas. Iowans need representatives who fight to lower their costs rather than those who make life more expensive.

Values & Storytelling:

• Lead with values like affordability, tradition, family & community
• Name the representative and their votes (define the problem)
• Use personal anecdotes or relatable examples people can easily understand
• End with a simple call to action, for the Rep to vote differently, or for others to call them out

Talking Points

The Iowa State Fair is an Iowa tradition, but it’s getting harder for families to afford it.

• Gas, groceries, health care, utilities and other costs are eating into household budgets.
• By the time families pay to drive to Des Moines, park, eat and enjoy the fair, a day out can become a significant expense.

Rising costs are hitting fair vendors and participants, too.

• Vendors and exhibitors are paying more to transport food, equipment and trailers.
• Those higher costs can ultimately mean higher prices for families.

These costs are the result of policy choices.

• Our Reps backed Trump’s tariffs, raising costs on businesses and consumers.
• High fuel costs from the war they support make it more expensive to travel
• Reps funded tax breaks for billionaires with cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, cutting into our budgets, hurting health clinics and taking consumers from local farmers
• Representatives like (Miller-Meeks/Nunn/Hinson) support policies that make it more expensive to preserve our traditions and bring our communities together

Questions to ask your representative at the Iowa State Fair: 

• When are you going to hold a public in-person town hall?
• Iowa has one of the highest cancer rates in the country and it is rising. The new Medicaid rule you voted for could kick cancer patients off treatment. Knowing this, would you vote differently, yes or no?Why are you continuing to support the war in Iran that’s raising prices on Iowa farmers and families?
• You keep showing up for closed-door fundraisers and staged events. Why are you afraid of a real town hall where Iowans can ask about your health care and cost votes?
• You voted for tariffs that squeezed Iowa farmers and triggered manufacturing layoffs. How many of your constituents have to lose their jobs before you change your vote?
• Families are being squeezed from all directions and you voted for cuts to SNAP and other food programs that could lead to kids losing access to food both at home and in school. What are you doing to ensure all Iowa families can feed their children?
• Are you going to give back all your campaign donations from big insurance companies? (Miller-Meeks)

Questions to ask Zach Lahn at the Iowa State Fair: 

• You tried to take health care away from Montanans and recently said that 100,000 Iowans losing Medicaid was just a talking point. If you become governor, will you continue trying to take Medicaid and health care away from us?
• Why are you defending a privatized Medicaid system that doesn’t work for Iowans?
• If you lose the Iowa election, will you run for governor in Kansas or Montana?
• With Iowa’s economy and growth at the bottom nationally, why are you supporting the Reynolds policies that got us here?

State Fair Questions may be updated Monday. You can find them here.

Content to share on social media: 

Click to Share Content via Megaphone: Between gas, groceries, and everyday bills, plenty of Iowans are wondering if they can even afford to enjoy the fair this year. If you see your representative there, ask them why they’re making our lives harder.

Click to Share Content via Megaphone: Why is Miller-Meeks ducking Iowans? By skipping the State Fair Soapbox, she avoids explaining her votes to gut Medicaid and support the Trump tariffs costing Iowans.

Images to Share on social media:

More Information: 

Check out Higher Costs in Republican Budget Message Guidance for more examples and the most recent vote to raise prices on Iowans.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the fair!