The former Democratic senator with whom Hillary Clinton flipped a steak back in September believes that the now-official presidential candidate faces no “real weakness” in his home state of Iowa.
Former Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Ia.) discussed Hillary’s decision to make her first campaign stop in Iowa with MSNBC’s Luke Russert in a phone interview on “Andrea Mitchell Reports” Monday.
He alleged that there exists a “wellspring of support” for Clinton in Iowa, exclaiming that Iowans “love” both Hillary and Bill Clinton.
“When I had my Steak Fry last September, they were both there and I can tell you the electricity was in the air,” explained Harkin, who hosted the annual fundraising event ahead of the 2014 midterm elections. “Iowans are ready to have Hillary come out and meet with them and talk with them. I can tell you they’re very excited about this.”
Harkin insisted that, in order to win the votes in Iowa, Hillary will need to show voters in the state that her campaign “is not a high-altitude bombing run” for the White House.
“She’s going to be down there right down with everyday Americans and everyday Iowans learning about their problems and speaking to their hopes and their dreams,” Harkin added. “I think it’s going to be a lot different approach than you saw eight years ago.”
While he admitted that Clinton has some work to do, Harkin insisted that Hillary won’t have to overcome any true “weakness” in the state and that she will “shine” in the small-group settings planned by her campaign.
“I don’t see any real weakness for Hillary in Iowa,” said Harkin. “I think it’s just, let’s face it: We Iowans are kind of pampered. We’re used to people coming to our doors and our homes and things like that.”
Ironically, students at Kirkwood Community College’s satellite campus in rural Iowa — where Clinton headlined a roundtable meeting Tuesday — seemed less than unenthusiastic in advance of the former secretary of State’s visit to their school.
