Around 400 people attended the Boots and BBQ event last night at the Cottownwood Barn in Kimballton. The event was a Republican Party fundraiser and featured talks from Presidential Candidates Rick Perry and Carly Fiorina.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said he enjoys the process in Iowa and respects how Iowans handle that responsibility. “Iowa is about picking presidents. I mean, this process has made Iowa very unique in the sense of they understand and they take it very seriously, that they are in the business of vetting candidates that want to be the President of the United States.  There are very few states in the country that have that responsibility and Iowans take it very seriously.”

Former Hewelett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina talked about the response to her strong performance in last weeks Republican debates. “Well, I think it’s true that more people know who I am. You know I went into that debate and less than 40% of Republican voters had ever heard my name, and now a lot more know who I am.  But mostly what I hear from people is “keep going, keep speaking directly and telling us what we really need to do”.  I think people really are tired of professional politicians and are ready for a different kind of leadership.”

The event also featured other speakers from leadership around the state.