Indictment ignored, Trump barely a mention, as GOP candidates pitch Iowa voters to challenge him

By THOMAS BEAUMONT
Associated Press

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Republican candidates for president are trying to present themselves as Donald Trump alternatives without acknowledging the GOP frontrunner and the new federal criminal charges against him. Over the course of two hours, seven GOP hopefuls took their turn on stage in front of about 800 party activists in the leadoff caucus state. They were all invited to speak at Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson’s fundraising barbecue at a Cedar Rapids racetrack. But in their pitches to challenge Trump for the 2024 nomination, it was as if his indictment Tuesday on federal charges accusing him of working to overturn the 2020 election results had never happened, even from the candidate who has suggested the former president quit the race.