Hillary Clinton is determined not to lose Iowa again.
The road to her loss in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary began with a third-place finish in the Hawkeye State’s first-in-the-nation caucus.
Now, as she prepares to run in 2016, the former secretary of state and her allies are doing everything they can to build an early lead and stop any potential challengers from gaining a toehold in Iowa.
That starts with simply showing up.
In 2008, Democrats chastised her for spending less time in the state than Barack Obama, a feeling of neglect that metastasized when a memo from Clinton’s campaign leaked in which an aide proposed skipping Iowa’s contest entirely.
Over the weekend, Clinton turned up at Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry, dropping hints about her likely presidential bid.
“I’m back!” she announced to an audience of thousands.
As in 2008, Clinton would start a 2016 campaign as a prohibitive frontrunner among Democrats. But to make that advantage stick, her team and allies must now begin to make corrections to her last campaign and plot a revised strategy for this one.
Some Clinton allies argue the result in the 2008 caucuses was not as dismal as a third-place finish suggests, and that Clinton could have won in a normal, non-Obama year. But Clinton isn’t taking any chances, even though public polling is roundly in her favor.
A recent CNN/ORC poll showed Clinton winning support from 53 percent of Iowans, while Vice President Joe Biden ranked second with 15 percent. Polls from this stage in the 2008 presidential election cycle showed a much more competitive Democratic field.
Clinton’s upcoming pre-campaign charm offensive won’t be limited to Iowa.
She is expected select a few Democratic candidates to support during the remainder of this election cycle, although no plans have been announced as yet. In Iowa, she endorsed Rep. Bruce Braley, the Democratic nominee for Senate.
One likely benefactor is Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is in a competitive bid for re-election against Republican Scott Brown in another key early state. Shaheen has long been close to the Clintons, and Clinton won the New Hampshire Democratic primary in 2008.
But Clinton herself need not campaign tirelessly to keep her political brand on the rise until she announces a presidential bid, likely early next year. Others can and will do the heavy lifting for her in the meantime.
The pro-Clinton group Ready For Hillary announced Wednesday that, starting next month, it will send more than two dozen staff to assist campaigns in 14 states, including important early primary states such as Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Former President Bill Clinton will also be an active proxy for her. He is slated to headline the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s important Jefferson Jackson dinner next month, and he has traveled around the country supporting Democratic candidates in the midterm elections.
Through the midterms, Hillary Clinton is expected to maintain her smallish team of less than a dozen people. Allies expect discussions about fleshing out a campaign team would begin around Thanksgiving.
However the team is put together, it will be keeping a close eye on Iowa.
