Democrats meet in Iowa for first face-off of 2016
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton listens to a question from a guest after a town hall meeting in Dover, N.H., Thursday.
Environmental activists interrupt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton during a town hall meeting in Dover, NH, Thursday.
WASHINGTON – With Democratic presidential candidates coming to Iowa for the first face-off of the 2016 campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in the early caucus state promising to continue the work of the man she hopes to succeed in the White House.
“The president does not get the credit he deserves for saving us from a major crash,” Clinton told volunteers and campaign staffers in Cedar Rapids. “When you see what works you ought to keep doing what works.”
All five Democratic primary candidates are on the program for a dinnertime fundraiser in Cedar Rapids sponsored by the state party, creating an opportunity for her challengers to confront Clinton before more than 1,200 influential party activists in the crucial caucus state.
Three months into what seems like an all-but-inexorable march to the nomination, Clinton has already built a vast campaign infrastructure, run from a multistory headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, with hundreds of staffers across the country.
On Friday, Clinton’s campaign said it bought $7.7 million worth of television advertising time in early voting states, their first ad buy for the 2016 contest. In Iowa, where caucus goers cast the country’s first ballots, the campaign paid $3.6 million for time in all eight media markets that serve the state. An additional $4.1 million of airtime was purchased in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary.
But Clinton’s first appearance with all her primary rivals comes amid signs she has yet to win over some of her party’s most passionate supporters, the activists and small-dollar donors that will form the base of her support in the general election.
Those Democrats have a far more favorable view of Obama than of Clinton, who’s spent decades in the public spotlight.
According to a new Associated Press-GfK poll released this week, roughly two-thirds of Hispanics view Obama favorably, compared to just over half of Hispanics who say the same about Clinton. Among self-identified liberals, Obama’s favorability stands at 87 percent, to Clinton’s 72 percent. Half of Americans under the age of 30 view Obama favorably, compared to just 38 percent for his former secretary of state.
Record-setting turnout by those key voting groups twice propelled Obama to the White House and will be crucial to Clinton’s success.
“I don’t like seeing that, obviously,” Clinton said of the poll, speaking to reporters Thursday. “But I think people know that I will fight for them. I’ll fight for their jobs, I’ll fight for their families, I’ll fight on behalf of better education and health care.”
She added: “I’m very pleased with the support I have.”
The new numbers offer a window into the factors at play as Clinton decides how closely to embrace Obama, his record and his policies in her campaign for president.
At a town hall-style meeting in New Hampshire on Thursday, liberal environmental protestors broke out into chants after Clinton refused to promise an immediate halt to all fossil-fuel development.
“I totally respect the passion and the urgency,” she said, attempting to calm the crowd. “I understand it.”
Just 17 percent of the $47 million Clinton raised since announcing her campaign came from contributions of $200 or less – a typical marker for grassroots support. In comparison, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders fueled his insurgent challenge to Clinton with small donations, pulling in three-quarters of his more than $15.2 million haul from smaller amounts.
In recent weeks, Sanders packed arenas with voters eager to hear the message of the self-described socialist, who’s become Clinton’s chief rival. So far, he’s refused to directly criticize Clinton, though he’s questioned her positions on issues like trade, Wall Street regulations and the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I like her. I respect her,” Sanders said this week, after joining his fellow Senate Democrats at a luncheon with Clinton on Capitol Hill. “It is not necessary for people to dislike each other or attack each other just because they’re running for office.”
Besides Sanders and Clinton, the forum includes former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee. Each candidate will deliver 15 minutes of remarks.