At an outdoor house party Thursday afternoon in Williams, Iowa, 65-year-old Gayle Olson stood in line waiting to shake Beto O'Rourke's hand after his remarks to the crowd of 80 people.

The retired teacher from Webster City said she was "disappointed" with O'Rourke when she watched last week's debates. But Thursday, in a town hall setting, she felt he had more of a chance to shine.

"I just didn't think he articulated very well what his plan was," she said of O'Rourke's debate performance. "The frustrating thing in the debate, for me, was there were so many people trying to make their voices be heard that it was hard for a single candidate to be able to respond without being interrupted. Here, you could listen to him."

O'Rourke's visit to Williams, a Hamilton County town of about 330, was the next-to-last stop of a three-day swing through Iowa with his wife, Amy, and their three children. The trip was O'Rourke's first return to the state since the June 26 debate.

Olson, who's still undecided, said she appreciated the opportunity to hear O'Rourke answer audience questions about his health care plan, and she liked that his plan would still allow people the option to keep their private insurance through their employers. She also was pleased to hear more about his plans for early childhood education and taking on climate change.

Other Iowans echoed similar sentiments this week. In Ames Tuesday night, as O'Rourke kicked off his trip at a house party with 160 people, many attendees said they support his campaign, but some did not think he was the most convincing candidate on the debate stage.

Henry Huisinga, a man from Clarion, said he thought O'Rourke's debate performance was "less than desirable," but people shouldn't discount candidates based on a few minutes of talking on national television.

"He's an up-and-coming member of the Democratic Party," Huisinga said. "It's time to put our support in younger, more energetic people."

Catherine Rohret, an incoming college student from Independence, asked O'Rourke how he would combat police brutality. She said other candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren stood out more in the debates, but she liked the chance to hear from O'Rourke in person.

"I think he's a really good speaker, and he has really good plans," Rohret said. "I saw Beto had an answer — he was able to address questions here, which is important for a presidential candidate to be able to do face-to-face."

Last week's debate has so far not appeared to lift O'Rourke's poll numbers in Iowa. He failed to reach more than 1% in a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY Poll conducted after last week’s debate. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

In early June, before the debates, O'Rourke was the first-choice candidate of 2% of likely Democratic Iowa caucusgoers in a Des Moines Register/CNNMediacom/ Iowa Poll. Among respondents in that same poll, 4% said O'Rourke was their second-choice candidate, and 33% said they were actively considering him.

But back in Williams on Thursday, as O'Rourke greeted and answered questions from the line of attendees, Kathryn Hansen, a 25-year-old employment specialist from Johnston, said she believes it's still early in the race. O'Rourke is among her top three candidates, she said, because she sees someone who can win against Republicans.

"The biggest (thing) for me, coming from a Republican family, is I need a candidate that will win over my parents," she said. "That's why he's in my top three, because he's almost done it in the most red state of this country."

Her husband, Seth, said he believes more visits with Iowans who don't feel like they're being heard can make the difference.

"I think things like this mean a lot to Iowans," he said.

O'Rourke was the first candidate in the 2020 race to visit Williams, where many residents said they couldn't remember the last time in recent years a candidate had stopped there.

Other stops this week included a tour of an Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, a roller coaster ride at a carnival in Clear Lake, a march in the Fourth of July parade in Independence, and an Iowa Cubs baseball game in Des Moines, where he congratulated newly naturalized citizens after a pregame ceremony.

Ian Richardson covers news for the Register and can be reached by email at irichardson@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8254. Robin Opsahl covers political trends for the Register and can be reached by email at ropsahl@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8051.