Heartland hustle

In a wide-open field, Iowa state fair and straw poll are fertile ground for lesser-known GOP candidates | Jamie Dean

AMES and DES MOINES, Iowa—On a sweltering August afternoon in Des Moines, thousands of sweaty carnival-goers creep along the scorching blacktop at the Iowa State Fair. Some stand in line for deep-fried Twinkies or a giant sausage on a stick, while others file past a life-size cow sculpted out of 600 pounds of pure cream Iowa butter.

At a booth nearby, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney dons a green apron that reads: "The other white meat." Sweat trickles down his tanned face as he flips thick pork chops for cameras and a growing crowd. When he drops a chop on the ground, he promptly slaps it back on the grill, declaring: "Five second rule." The crowd loves it, and the cameras click.