There's a double dose of presidential politics this Veterans Day in the Iowa Quad Cities.
Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Chris Christie made stops within a few hours of each other on Wednesday.
Rubio embraces the American Dream during a stop before an overflow crowd at Jersey Grille in Davenport.
"The private sector creates jobs," he said.
For a country at the crossroads, he says vocational education can help to rebuild American manufacturing.
"When they graduate at 18 years of age, they will be ready to work fixing airplanes and cars or welding with machines," he said.
Fresh from the GOP debate in Milwaukee, Rubio's campaign is picking up steam in Iowa.
This packed house reflects his rise to third place in caucus polling.
"I like one thing that he said," offered Richard Cole, Eldridge. "We have to make stuff again instead of doing stuff again."
"He actually has some of the problems a lot of the rest of us have," added Evelyn Staker, Muscatine. "I think that helps his message resonate even better."
Christie represents the underdog for Iowa Republicans, but he spoke to another overflow crowd at Mickey's Country Cafe in Bettendorf.
"We can make a difference in people's lives," he said. "We can change the world."
With support struggling in the low single digits, Christie is searching for a way to stand out.
On Wednesday, he called for treatment instead of prison time for drug offenders.
He says that treatment costs less and produces better results.
"I want us to reach out and help each other," he said. "That's what a compassionate America does. That's what a pro-life conservative America does."
Both candidates want to be part of a new Republican Party.
For Rubio, that means saving the American Dream before it's too late.
"Now is the time for this generation to make its choice," he concluded. "We are all called to the task."
It's a task for two Republican presidential candidates during this Veterans Day in the Quad Cities.