U.S. Representative for northeast Iowa who is seeking to be the Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson spoke to prospective voters at the Washington Pizza Ranch on Thursday.

Around a dozen people attended the event to meet Hinson. Washington County Republican Party Chair Merle Miller described the process of scheduling the event around the looming federal government shutdown, “It was a tentative thing, not knowing whether she’d need to get back to D.C. for some votes, so it was pretty tentative and pretty short notice, but it ended up going off at the Pizza Ranch in Washington and it was a pretty good event.”

Discussion focused largely on Hinson’s current work as a representative, including the current shutdown negotiations. Other topics included the recent detainment of now-resigned Des Moines Community School District Ssuperintendent Ian Roberts, who is alleged by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of overstaying a student visa.

Following failed votes on two versions of the budget bill in the Senate, the government shutdown will continue through the weekend, with Congress set to reconvene on Monday.