A few questions before that, Claire Campbell, a senior at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, blushed and asked O'Rourke if he would go to prom with her. She said she didn't expect an affirmative answer.

"First of all, as someone who did not go to prom because no one asked me, this means more than you know," O'Rourke said.

He said his team had seen her visual prom request on a poster, then unfurled a manila folder with a written response as well, saying, "We came up with a counter proposal -- 'Will you caucus for me?' "

In a statement, Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said that O'Rourke in his last Iowa trip "proved he’s not ready for prime time" when discussing issues.

Earlier Thursday, O'Rourke began his travels through Northwest Iowa with stops in Carroll and Denison. He'll start Friday with an 8:30 a.m. event in Storm Lake, then finish his swing with stops in eastern Iowa.

Other Democrats appeared in Northwest Iowa events last weekend including U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and former Congressman John Delaney. Bernie Sanders has planned events for the eastern half of the state into the upcoming weekend. Ryan, who represents Ohio's 13th Congressional District, formally announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination during an appearance Thursday on ABC TV's "The View."

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