ST. PAUL, Minn. — House Speaker Lisa Demuth was meandering through the Minnesota State Fair with a slice of bacon on a stick when two fairgoers stopped her to talk.

“I’m a Democrat, but thank God you’re running,” Les Delton, a retired pipefitter from Minneapolis, told Demuth. He said he was tired of fraud in state government and that the DFL had moved too far left and abandoned him. He plans to vote Republican this fall.

Every few yards, someone wished Demuth, a Republican, luck in her bid for Minnesota governor against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who received her own warm greetings as she made her way from a radio interview to greet constituents at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” someone called to Klobuchar as she walked past.

The scenes are familiar for Demuth, Klobuchar and other elected officials who comprised a substantial portion of the crowd gathered outside the fair Thursday morning.

“It brings people together in a way that this is our ‘in-common,’” Demuth said.

Politics are always a fixture of the State Fair. Political parties have permanent booths and elected officials make mandatory stops at the fairgrounds. Neither party shies away from hot issues. Republicans’ main booth had merchandise for sale Thursday poking fun at Democrats over fraud in state government. T-shirts for sale at the DFL booth bore slogans encouraging resistance against the federal administration and saying that “love melts ICE.” A Smokey the Bear-inspired shirt told would-be buyers: “Only you can fight fascism.”

In a heated political climate that makes it difficult for elected officials to do the kind of retail politicking of decades past, the state fair presents a chance for Minnesotans to see their representatives face to face. Klobuchar called it the “ultimate town hall.”

“People will give you — and this is a Minnesota euphemism — feedback,” Klobuchar said. “Good or bad. And they will tell you ideas. I once passed a bill because of the fair.”

On Thursday morning, a beaming Gov. Tim Walz was manning a corn-on-the-cob stand and handed a fresh ear to Demuth — a brief reprieve from the tension between the highest-ranking Democrat and Republican in state government.

An entrant into the largest sunflower contest showed her hopefully prize-winning bloom to Klobuchar. Minnesotans wanting to take photos with Klobuchar made it impossible for her to get anywhere quickly. And after perusing crop art with state Auditor Julie Blaha, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan flew down the fair’s famous Giant Slide with the senator whose seat she hopes to win this fall — Tina Smith.

Campaign staff for Flanagan’s opponent, former NFL sideline broadcaster Michele Tafoya, did not respond to requests to make the candidate available at the fair. Tafoya posted photos to her social media later in the day about her day at the fair.

Growing up, Demuth said she would attend the fair with her parents and get a Pronto Pup. Now, she gets a corn dog from Auntie M’s, a food truck based out of her district with a stand at the fair. As a city kid, she loved seeing the farm machinery. She’s been at the fair many times since running for the Minnesota House nearly a decade ago, but this year has her first-ever booth now that she’s running for governor.

The fair holds fond memories for Flanagan, who arrived ahead of the gate opening with a fair-themed manicure and an outfit she laid out the night before: a sweatshirt that says “just a girl who loves the State Fair,” a hat that says “love me like I love the State Fair” and themed jewelry. She’s been to 40-odd state fairs, she said, and, as a kid, waited in line with her mom to meet then-Sen. Paul Wellstone.

“I think the power of just being really listened to and being seen was important to me,” Flanagan said, “and I know how important it is to Minnesotans.”

Klobuchar said she’s a fan of cheese curds at the fair and planned to try a Hmong corndog, a new addition to the culinary offerings. Her family attended the fair every other year when she was young in order to save money. Now, she’s a fixture.

The haunted house and pork chop booths near Klobuchar’s booth, styled like a front porch, are longtime neighbors. But other neighbors have changed. A snake zoo was near her stand for years, as was MyPillow, founded by former GOP governor candidate Mike Lindell. Klobuchar said she used to buy pillows from him.

Klobuchar, Demuth and Flanagan are running for office in what is shaping up to be a competitive statewide election year. Demuth and fellow Republicans face headwinds brought on by President Donald Trump’s administration, which remains unpopular in Minnesota, while Klobuchar and Flanagan have to contend with voters’ frustration over fraud in state government and a ballooning state budget.

Those themes are inescapable at the State Fair where the Republican Party set up stacks of fake cash meant to represent money stolen from the state. The party was selling T-shirts with the logo of the “Quality Learing Center,” a daycare highlighted in a conservative YouTuber’s video about fraud in Minnesota that was later raided by the FBI.

While fraud has dominated Republicans’ election messaging, Democrats are leaning into anti-Trump sentiment, particularly after the immigration crackdown that gripped Minnesota last winter.

Attendees wandered the fair in shirts with the “No Kings” protest logo or other designs celebrating immigrants.

Crop art memorialized the resistance to Operation Metro Surge and the two Minnesotans killed by federal agents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. One piece portrayed a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer slipping on a patch of ice in Minneapolis, giving the officer a prize ribbon for “most ironic wipeout.”

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