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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The latest from the presidential candidates as they meet and greet voters on the last day of the Iowa State Fair. All times are local.
4 p.m.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been having a heated day at the Iowa State Fair Saturday — both flipping pork burgers on a grill and discussing immigration with protesters.
Jindal spent time on the fairgrounds talking with immigration activists who sought to disrupt his appearance on a political soapbox hosted by The Des Moines Register. He says he wanted them to understand that people seeking to come to the United States must "come legally, learn English, adopt our values, roll up their sleeves and get to work."
Jindal then moved onto the Iowa Pork Producers tent — a common candidate stop — and manned the grill, chatted with voters and sampled a pork chop on a stick. Jindal continues to lag in the polls, but says he is putting in significant time in Iowa, which he thinks will pay off.
He said: "I don't think there is a shortcut to winning Iowa."
3:30 p.m.
At the Iowa State Fair, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton appear to be their parties' leading presidential choices — for now. That's according to the unscientific "cast your kernel" poll.
Promotions producer Kevin Rivers says the corn kernel poll has been hosted by WHO-TV at the fair for at least a decade. Fairgoers drop kernels into jars marked with the candidates' faces. Those aged 18 and up can vote once a day for free.
By midday Saturday — the final day of the fair — nearly 50,000 votes had been cast. On the GOP side, businessman Trump led with 12,022 votes. With Democrats, former Secretary of State Clinton led with 8,757 votes.
1:15 p.m.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is criticizing former President Jimmy Carter's foreign policy record. Christie is the second Republican presidential hopeful to attack Carter's legacy within days after Carter announced that cancer has spread to his brain.
On the Iowa State Fair's political soapbox, Christie also slammed President Barack Obama's foreign policy record and compared him to Carter, saying that Obama "makes Jimmy Carter look strong."
When asked later whether the remark was appropriate, Christie said he wasn't talking about Carter's health, but his presidency.
"We all wish the president the best, we wish for him to recover and to live a long and healthy life," Christie said. Adding that his comment was about Obama and less about Carter.
On Friday, Ted Cruz criticized the Obama and Carter administrations during a speech in Iowa, saying both suffered from the "same failed domestic policy, same misery, stagnation and malaise."
12:30 p.m.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal wants to go farther than most in cracking down on so-called sanctuary cities that shield immigrants in the country illegally from federal authorities.
The Republican presidential candidate says the political leaders of such cities should themselves face criminal penalties. Says Jindal: "Let's lock them up."
Jindal made the comment Saturday in an appearance on the Iowa State Fair's political soapbox, a common stop for presidential candidates.
Jindal has been stuck near the bottom of the polls and is struggling to rise. He touted his own immigrant background but emphasized that his parents came to the United States legally. Pro-immigrant protesters were on hand for Jindal's appearance and an earlier one by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, chanting, "We are America."
11:30 a.m.
Three protesters stormed the stage as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie spoke at the Iowa State Fair's political soapbox. They were protesting Christie's veto of a bill that would have banned the use of pig gestation crates, a technique for raising pork that some consider cruel.
State troopers pulled the protesters off the stage but not before one man shouted "Animals want to live!"
Christie said that the disruption made him feel like he was back in New Jersey. He also defended his veto of the bill and thanked protesters for giving him the chance to say so.
It was part of a wide-ranging 20-minute question-and-answer session by Christie that he launched into without delivering prepared remarks. He parried questions on President Barack Obama's Iran nuclear deal, calling it a huge mistake, and touted New Jersey's status as third in the nation in use of solar power.
Throughout his appearance pro-immigrant protesters could be heard chanting in favor of citizenship.
10:15 a.m.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has a marathon day planned at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. He'll stop by the political soapbox, visit the Iowa Pork Producers tent and stroll the fairgrounds with Republican Gov. Terry Branstad.
Christie has spent less time in the leadoff caucus state than many other 2016 hopefuls. He's focused his attention on early voting New Hampshire.
Christie's presidential aspirations have drawn scrutiny in his home state. On Friday, a trio of liberal-leaning advocacy groups sued Christie for using taxpayer dollars to pay for his security detail's travel expenses as he campaigns across the country.
9:55 a.m.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been campaigning heavily in Iowa as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination. On Saturday he plans to engage voters from the political soapbox, a common stop for presidential candidates at the Iowa State Fair. Candidates can deliver remarks and take questions from fairgoers. Jindal is also to visit the Iowa Pork Producers tent and the Farm Bureau booth.
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