U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the Iowa State Fair on Monday to tout support for U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and to promote his $1.5 trillion defense budget proposal. Hegseth called Nunn an ally in Congress for military spending and the department's war efforts.

U.S. Senate candidates Republican Ashley Hinson, Democrat Josh Turek and Libertarian Thomas Laehn spoke at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox during the first days of the state fair.

The Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved by voice vote its lineup of six early primaries for the 2028 election cycle, kicking off with South Carolina and Nevada. Notably, the early lineup excludes Iowa, despite a push from its state party officials to keep it among the initial contests.

A longtime Iowa State Fair tradition gave Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand a chance to make their case to voters. They offered different visions for the state while portraying themselves as willing to challenge politics as usual.

The Libertarian Party of Iowa has nominated new candidates for lieutenant governor and the 3rd District House race in November following the removal of two candidates by the State Objection Panel in June.

It's been a decade since Iowa privatized its Medicaid system under Gov. Terry Branstad, but the move has been controversial and the system's future has become an issue in this year's competitive gubernatorial election.