At the Iowa State Fair, 2020 Democrats tried to seem relatable. It was fun to watch

After his speech at the Iowa State Fair this past weekend, presidential candidate Tim Ryan really wanted to make sure that everyone knew he drinks beer.

Stepping up to a podium under a big white Des Moines Register canopy to shield the candidates from the beating sun, the Ohio congressman was drenched in sweat, and taking swigs from a water bottle.

“Hello everybody. Just for the record, I asked for a Miller Light after my speech, and they gave me water,” he said, garnering some laughs from the assembled press, before a reporter launched into a question about gun control.

Ryan was among 19 candidates who made the solemn trek into the heart of the Iowa State Fair over the past week, hoping to make a personal, media-friendly connection with an audience which has outsized influence in determining who will become the next president. And, just like Tim Ryan, many of the candidates — a big chunk of whom live in coastal elite Mecca of Washington — were hoping to do it by showing voters they’re just like them.

They drink beer! They eat meat on sticks. Heck, they say “folks”, and ride on Ferris wheels. How relatable!

Of course, some of it can feel a bit forced.

Ryan has quipped about his love of light beer before on the campaign trail, even though the guy has literally written a book extolling the virtues of healthy eating. Later in his press conference, the Ohioan even discussed that belief of his, saying he thinks food can help counteract many diseases in the United States.

But, hey, you can’t blame him for trying. Everybody was doing it.

Kamala Harris, the senator from California, was among those who gave relatability a valiant effort, appearing on camera really getting into a pork chop on a stick during her tour of fairgrounds (to be clear: the stick was a bone.) She even offered up her favourite pork chop recipe: Ancho chilies, minced garlic, salt, pepper and paprika.

Cory Booker, the senator from New Jersey, also kept things real on the food front, in spite of his well known veganism.

Booker, who previously served as the mayor of Newark, bee-lined for the fair’s “Veggie-Table” after his speech, where a number of vegetables could be purchased deep-fried. He munched on some fried pickles, and ate a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick.

“Food," Booker joked when asked by the press what he was planning on eating at the fair. Reporters giggled, and one could be heard saying, “Yes - real, human food, just like you!” under his breath.

He later amused the press by offering to rock the Ferris wheel as he rode it — a big no-no, of course, though perhaps a rule that brings little consequence when broken.

Perhaps the most excited for the range of culinary delicacies available was Andrew Yang, though, who washed down a corn dog with lemonade after his speech. Then, he went and bought a $10 turkey leg — a giant piece of meat he held up proudly before the cameras.

“This is the truth,” Yang said of the meat. He then riffed a bit about how many $10 turkey legs one might be able to buy with the $1,000 a month his campaign is promising to give every American as a part of his so-called “Freedom Dividend”.

Before nearly all of these candidates ventured forth into the maze of nacho and hot dog vendors, Joe Biden also took his shot at appealing to everyday Iowans. The former vice president snacked on an ice cream — he is known for his soft spot for soft serve — and wore his trademark aviator shades.

And Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, found a way to take winning a stuffed pig to an odd place after winning a game of Skee-Ball.

“This is a harbinger of things to come. I won the pig, all things are possible,” de Blasio joked, holding the polka-dot toy in the air for all to see. “I have the power of the pig now.”

If there is one candidate who had a moment that summed up the whole bizarre spectacle of nearly two dozen presidential candidates flocking to a mid-sized city in Iowa to plead for votes, however, it was probably Tulsi Gabbard.

Gabbard ran into a supporter on the fairway who had taken advantage of all the free temporary tattoos available at various stands around the fair, placing them on his face and all across his arms. The Hawaii representative took a moment to list some of the tattoos she saw, laughing along with those who circled around her.

“I mean this is America right here,” she said. “Diversity.”