With its rich history of attracting hecklers, the Iowa State Fair's famed Soapbox was the back drop to just that for the 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate hopeful, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and a crowd of hecklers. A busload of hecklers even drove from his home state with lots to say to Walker.
A bus of nearly 50 Wisconsin residents made the trip to protest the Wisconsin governor's policies. The rowdy group advocateed for a $15-an-hour minimum wage and better health benefits. They yelled out barbs like, "Black lives matter," and, "200,000 jobs you promised in Wisconsin, where are they?," according to CNN.
Walkers declining standing in the Iowa polls did not deter him at all as he vowed to not backdown. He chose to use the negativity to showcase his no-nonsense style and warrior attitude, according to The New York Times. Walker even managed to get a jab in at Hillary Rodham Clinton, since she is coming to the Iowa State Fair this Saturday. Clinton is skipping the historical Soapbox.
But it's his battle with the union workers that will always plague Walker, and they showed up Monday prepared to go a round with him. Walker's long standing dispute with the labor unions goes back to the beginning of his election in 2011. In that year, 100,000 protesters stormed the Wisconsin capital in an effort to unhinge Walker's anti-union legislation. He also survived a recall election.
Confrontations with Iowa State Fair audience members can often shape perceptions of candidates and provide key news clip fodder throughout the campaign, CNN states.
In Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, he said at The Des Moines Register's soapbox: "Corporations are people, my friends." The comment dogged Romney for the rest of his campaign, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
