(KAIR)--Nearly fifty people braved the hot weather Saturday afternoon for a chance to meet in an informal setting with Democratic candidates for various state and federal offices.

The crowd gathered inside the stone shelter in Atchison's Jackson Park to hear short speeches given by each of the eight candidates in attendance.  Each had different reasons as to why they should be elected to office, but there were some common themes shared by all of them. Each expressed a desire to connect to the people of Kansas and to do their best to work for them, and not just for themselves or any political party.

Chad Taylor, who will be running against Patrick Wiesner for a seat in the United States Senate in the August 5th Primary election, says that he has been busy traveling the state speaking with groups of all sizes, letting them know why he is running, and what he stands for. He says that sometimes, the less formal the meeting is the better, because you can have more of a face to face interaction with people and there is a lot more opportunity for give and take.

Candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives Steve Lukert adds that Saturday's meeting benefited the candidates as well as the voters in that it let all the candidates know that they are all on the same page

Atchison resident Herb Gwaltney was in attendance, and he says that overall, the event could be considered a success, as it was a great opportunity for each candidate to get exposure to the voters.

Each person in attendance had a chance to mingle with the candidates at the conclusion of the speeches for an informal question and answer session.

Other candidates making an appearance included Margie Wakefield, who is seeking to represent Kansas' second district in the United States Congress, candidate for Kansas Attorney General A.J. Kotich, Kansas Insurance Commissioner candidate Dennis Anderson, Jean Schodorf, candidate for Kansas Secretary of State, State Representative Jerry Henry, along with Tom Burroughs, who will be representing gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis.