Nothing Compares: Kim Reynolds’ State Fair Failure

The Iowa State Fair is a rite of passage for any Iowan politician. Politicians come shake hands, kiss babies, and take a picture with the butter cow. It should be pretty easy, right? Not if you’re Governor Kim Reynolds. Reynolds spent her time at the state fair banning a veterans group from marching in the fair parade and then she potentially broke the law for using taxpayer money to promote her own image.
“Nothing compares to Kim Reynolds’ awful week at the Iowa State Fair,” said Democratic Governors Association Press Secretary Melissa Miller. “It’s telling that Governor Reynolds can’t even manage to attend the state fair without causing issues and scandals. No wonder Iowa is having such problems under Reynolds mismanagement: botched private Medicaid, a budget crisis, and now even the Iowa State Fair.”
Here is a roundup of coverage from Kim Reynolds’ dreadful week at the state fair:
Des Moines Register: Iowa official defends ban on Democratic veterans group from parade, says decision ‘is not about politics’
Ron Healey of Durango, who chairs the Iowa Democratic Party’s Veterans’ Caucus, said his party’s veterans have marched for years in the State Fair veterans’ parade, including during former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad’s administration.
Healey said members of the veterans’ caucus from throughout Iowa had planned to march again as a group in this year’s event. He said they had followed the correct application procedure, their application was approved, and they had already received their tickets and parking passes to participate.
The decision to prohibit the Democratic veterans from marching as a group in Monday’s parade provoked criticism and some heated words from the Democratic veterans and party leaders. It also spurred allegations that Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration was behind the decision.
KCCI8: Veterans’ group blocked from fair parade due to political affiliation
“Our veterans were, unfortunately, left to the sidelines while the rest of the parade happened,” Iowa Democratic Chair Troy Price said.
Price said members of the Iowa Democratic Veterans’ Caucus had to watch the parade go by instead of walking in it.
“This looks a deliberate attempt to try and silence these veterans’ voices and it’s just really offensive and upsetting,” Price said.
3 News Now: Iowa Democratic Veterans’ Caucus barred from Veterans’ Parade at Iowa State Fair
According to the Iowa Democratic Veterans’ Caucus, their members were uninvited to participate in a parade highlighting the state’s veterans Monday afternoon. In a release to media, the group claims an official with the Reynolds administration informed them they had been barred from the parade Friday.
“By disinviting our veterans from a parade they have marched in for years, the Reynolds Administration is telling Democratic veterans that their service is worth less than others’ for purely partisan reasons,” said Ron Healey, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Veterans’ Caucus.
Des Moines Register: Kim Reynolds says reusing Iowa State Fair booth with her photos is OK, despite new law banning self-promotion
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday said her reuse of old self-promotional material at this year’s Iowa State Fair is just fine, despite what Democrats are claiming on social media.
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The ban was part of a budget bill passed in the final hours of this year’s legislative session.
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Reynolds appears to be the sole state official using her image for her State Fair booth. Such images aren’t on booths for the offices of the agriculture secretary, the attorney general, the secretary of state, the state auditor and the state treasurer.
WHO TV: Governor’s Office Says There’s Nothing Illegal About Its State Fair Booth
State Representative Brian Meyer (D-Des  Moines) posted a picture of the Reynolds booth on Facebook Tuesday morning accusing the Governor of violating a new state law.  “Kim Reynolds and the Republicans in the legislature passed a law prohibiting the use of taxpayer funded fair booths with elected officials` images on them,” Meyer wrote, “Guess who violated the law?”
The law he’s referring to bars the use of public money for any publication, promotion or exhibit that features the likeness of an elected official.  Meyer says the Governor’s booth, which features multiple photos of the Governor, violates the law.