Like Miss Piggy and Captain Kirk, by birth

IOWAN

Think of a Midwestern state known for its cornfields and first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, where both a famous Muppet diva and a legendary starship captain were born.

This clue hints at the birthplace of two famous characters: Miss Piggy from The Muppets and Captain Kirk from Star Trek. Both were created as being from Iowa, so "by birth" points to the demonym for someone from that state. The answer "IOWAN" is a playful way to describe a native Iowan, tying the pop-culture references to geography. The wordplay relies on knowing these characters' backstories and the term for Iowa residents.