DES MOINES, Iowa — Senator Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride brought eight of the Republican Party’s likely nominees for president to Des Moines this weekend. That gathering gave undecided voters a chance to learn more about who could be on their ballot.

Ron and Rita Paar made the the two-and-a-half hour drive from Shenandoah to the State Fairgrounds for the Roast and Ride. The military veteran couple say they appreciated the chance to learn about politicians other than former President Donald Trump, who did not attend the event.

“It’s important that you listen to all of the candidates,” Ron Paar said. “With President Trump, I think you have a good sense of who he is and what he can do, and I want to see if there are others out there that can provide us with the same level of leadership and commitment to get things done.”

The list of speakers featured former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, businessman Perry Johnson, and former candidate for California governor Larry Elder.

Each candidate only had ten minute to address the crowd of more than a thousand people. The Paars believe most of the candidates skipped over an issue vital to Iowans: agriculture.

“I think there were only two or three candidates that actually said much about agriculture,” Rita Paar said. “It’s right up there with education for me. If we lose our agriculture, we lose our food.”

The Paars did not say if they preferred any specific candidate after the Roast and Ride.