A Democratic candidate for President of the United States spent some time in the Raccoon Valley Radio listening area Sunday, as former Maryland Congressman John Delaney visited Jefferson and Perry.

In Jefferson, he toured the Forge, learning about what the organization does and about creating a workforce for technology jobs in rural Iowa. He spoke with Raccoon Valley Radio about the importance of the Forge’s mission to develop job markets in small towns. “If we can get these jobs here, people are going to realize what kind of opportunities exist for them and their families. And you’ll see lots of job creations, and you’ll see all these little town squares get revitalized. And that’s really a big commitment that I have with my campaign.”

In Perry, he visited Casa de Oro for what he called “Caucus and Quesadillas.” He met with locals and discussed his background and history of bipartisanship. He emphasized that in order to defeat the sitting President, independent voters and moderates are the key. His central theme throughout his speech was finding solutions to the issues Americans are concerned with. He also took questions from attendees, which included: business and entrepreneurship; climbing in the polls; addressing the trade war; healthcare concerns over the pharmaceutical industry and health insurance providers; global policy; workforce concerns; the Equality Act; national debt concerns; and term limits. After that, he took a moment to talk about his reception in Iowa. “You know, I spend a lot of time in rural Iowa, and I would say it’s been very good in rural Iowa in particular. You know, I think Iowans have common sense, and they want real solutions to these issues. I really believe that.”

Delaney was the first candidate to declare his intention to seek the Democratic Presidential nomination in the 2020 primary election, and is one of 19 individuals still in the running.