Clay Masters

Farmers in the rural Midwest say they are hurting because of President Trump's ongoing trade war and a recent decision on renewable fuels.

Farmers in the Midwest say they are struggling because of President Trump's ongoing trade war, and a recent decision on renewable fuels made from corn and soybeans that benefits the oil industry.

The Iowa State Fair is a staple of presidential campaigns. It's often a spectacle, and that's been magnified with so many Democrats running in the 2020 campaign.

President Trump promised Midwestern corn farmers that he would lift some restrictions on blending corn-derived ethanol into gasoline. Iowa farmers say the policies are undermining them in other ways.

With Iowa caucuses still nine months away, candidates in the huge field of Democrats are looking to stand out. One way: show up in voters' homes.

A least four of the major Democratic candidates will gather for an event billed as a way for the party to reconnect with rural voters. "If you ain't there, you're square," editor Art Cullen says.

Democratic presidential contenders will visit a small Iowa town this weekend. They're there in part because of the town's newspaper editor, who's drawn attention to rural issues with his editorials.

His album Benton County Relic was nominated for a Grammy this year in the Best Traditional Blues category and features lyrics about his poor upbringing in Mississippi.

Many Democrats with presidential ambitions in 2020 are already making trips to Iowa. And some of them are trying hard to win over rural supporters the party lost in 2016.

GOP Rep. Steve King of Iowa was removed from two House panels as a punishment for his recent comments in a New York Times interview where he questioned whether "white supremacy" was an offensive term.