Additional Coverage:
Vice President J.D. Vance experienced a brief stumble during a speech at an Iowa manufacturing plant on Tuesday, May 5, when he lost his place in his prepared remarks and called on a colleague for help.
“What is, uh, this… what is, uh… Zach, you’re going to have to help me out with the name here.
I lost my page here. OK.
Alright. OK, there we go,” Vance said, pausing mid-sentence before the audience.
“I’m on the wrong page here.”
The visit was part of Vance’s effort to rally support for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who faces a competitive race in his Des Moines-area congressional district this November. This marked Vance’s first trip to Iowa since becoming vice president, coming ahead of the state’s important Republican presidential caucuses scheduled in less than two years.
Earlier in the day, Vance traveled from Washington to Ohio with one of his young children, making a stop in Cincinnati to participate in Ohio’s primary voting. There, he announced his endorsement of Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and expressed confidence in Sen. Jon Husted, who is running in a special election to finish Vance’s former Senate term.
Vance’s 6-year-old son even filled out a children’s ballot during the visit, which the vice president showed to poll workers when casting his own vote. “He voted for the Easter bunny over the tooth fairy,” Vance joked.
Before arriving in Iowa, Vance had attended a fundraising event in Oklahoma City as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee. His Iowa trip serves as an early gauge of his standing with Iowa Republicans, whose caucuses carry significant weight in selecting the party’s presidential nominee. Supporting a local congressman like Nunn allows Vance to build connections with key Republican voters ahead of the 2024 campaign season.
The visit comes shortly after Texas Senator Ted Cruz, another potential 2028 presidential hopeful, spoke to influential evangelical voters in Iowa. Des Moines Republican consultant Jimmy Centers noted that while the 2028 race is still years away, Iowa GOP attendees at Vance’s event will be watching closely.
“I certainly think, as of right now, Vice President Vance would probably be a straw-poll winner of Iowa Republicans for 2028. But I don’t think anyone is saying, ‘We won’t consider anybody else,’” Centers said.
Vance has not yet indicated whether he plans to run for president in 2028, and his office declined to comment on how the trip might affect his political ambitions.
This visit follows President Donald Trump’s January stop in Iowa, which focused on promoting tax cuts. Both visits reflect the administration’s emphasis on economic issues ahead of midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
However, Vance’s message has been complicated by the ongoing conflict in Iran. Known for his cautious stance on foreign military involvement, the vice president has struggled to fully support the nine-week-old conflict, which has also posed challenges for the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, Iowa residents are facing rising fuel prices linked to the conflict, while the state’s agricultural sector grapples with higher fertilizer costs and losses from tariffs imposed during Trump’s presidency. Although Iowa’s farmers remain largely supportive of the president, they are seeking reassurance that current difficulties are temporary.
Vance’s Iowa visit was originally planned for the previous week but was postponed when the House advanced major farm legislation requiring Nunn’s vote. He was also scheduled to attend an event at Iowa State University with Turning Point USA last week, but the group was unable to reschedule before the fall.
Overall, Vance’s trip highlighted both the political and economic challenges facing Iowa Republicans as they prepare for a pivotal election year.