The great thing about the Iowa State Fair is that it gives people the chance to challenge all the 2024 presidential candidates and ask them tough questions, said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa.
"I would be more considered if Vice President [Mike] Pence or other candidates were unable to take these tough questions," Miller-Meeks said Saturday during an appearance on Newsmax's "America Right Now," two days after an audience member accused the former vice president of treason regarding his actions on Jan. 6.
"Sometimes what people think needs to be expressed out in the open and then an answer given, so that's the great thing about the Iowa caucuses," she added.
"You don't have to be the most well funded; you don't have to be the most well known. You have an opportunity. And so this is an opportunity for people to challenge all of the candidates and to ask them the tough questions and to get those tough answers.
"So I think this is a great opportunity. And we should expect to see people express their opinions to challenge the candidates, and that's what's great about this process. So I want to see the tough questions asked of the candidates and how they respond to them because we know being a Republican in elected office is very tough," she continued.
"And you've got a tough media who doesn't support you and seems to support the other party. So bring it on; we're here to elect the next president and bring the country forward."
During the interview, Miller-Meeks said the fair offers a chance for Republican candidates to persuade the electorate.
"Well, you've seen the polls change," Miller-Meeks said. "And so I think that there are persuadable people there. And as they get exposure to the other candidates, I think that you'll continue to see those polls shift. So absolutely, there are pathways and lanes for other people to do well in the Iowa caucuses.
"We take it seriously," Miller-Meeks continued. "They're going to get a fair opportunity and a fair chance to be able to meet people, persuade them that [they're the] best person that can take the United States into the future with plans for the economy, plans for the border, plans for health care. So I think it's wide open, and I think people should come. The candidates are going to be there, and the weather is going to cooperate."
During a question-and-answer session at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday, Pence faced several hostile questions from supporters of former President Donald Trump.
"Why did you commit treason on Jan. 6 and not stand by President Trump?" one man, wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, asked Pence, as seen in a video tweeted by Iowa Starting Line.
Other members of the audience booed, as another man stood up, pointed at the questioner and said, "I am a veteran, buddy. You shut your mouth."
Newsmax writer Nick Koutsobinas contributed to this report.
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Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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