"Roast and Ride" event showcases GOP candidates and Trump's absence.

The Republican presidential primary for 2024 got under way in earnest on Saturday when eight contenders – minus Trump – took part in Iowa senator Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride”, a combination of barbecue-rally and motorcycle ride. Mike Pence, set to make his entry into the primary official next week, was the only White House hopeful to actually take part in the charity parade. The two-hour “cattle call” also made tangible a dilemma facing Republicans as a growing field threatens to split opposition to Trump, allowing his hard base of support to prevail as it did in the 2016 primary.