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The Republican primary race revved up Saturday as eight GOP candidates hit the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines for Sen. Joni Ernst’s annual motorcycle-themed fundraiser.
With former president — and current front-runner — Donald Trump conspicuous by his absence, Ernst’s Roast and Ride shindig gave the rest of the Republican field a chance to practice their stump speeches and angle for support ahead of the Hawkeye State’s crucial first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and wife Casey, with all three of their kids in tow, used the event as the family’s first foray on the presidential campaign trail.
Daughter Madison, 6, clambered on a shiny green John Deere tractor as her dad, holding 5-year-old Mason on his hip, chatted with voters.
