Iowa plays a big role in presidential politics because of its first-in-the-nation caucuses. Even by that standard, though, the Iowa State Fair (which ended last weekend) felt busier than usual as candidates for offices from the presidency on down flooded the event.

Jason Dick, host of Roll Call’s Political Theater podcast, attended the fair, and the team at CQ on Congress decided to hand the mic over to him this week to hear about his experience firsthand. Dick talked to David Redlawsk, a political psychologist who spent his entire sabbatical in Iowa, about why this is all happening.

You can also listen to the episode on Apple here.