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Story highlights
Clinton, Sanders made closing arguments to voters one week before Iowa caucuses
Clinton: 'You have to have somebody who is a proven fighter'
Sanders: 'We need a political revolution'
(CNN) —
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on Monday drew their sharpest contrasts yet in hard-hitting final pitches to Iowa voters as the competitive race to win the first in the nation caucuses enters its last week.
The Democratic race has often paled in comparison to the rollicking Republican battle. But there was palpable energy at CNN’s town hall as the candidates delivered urgent, passionate pleas for supporters to caucus on February 1.
Sanders offered a vigorous performance punctuated by calls for a progressive revolution. Clinton matched him for energy by arguing that only she had been on the front lines of progressive change for decades and uniquely had the multi-tasking skills at home and abroad needed of a President.
“It’s hard,” she said. “If it were easy, hey, there wouldn’t be any contest. But it’s not easy. There are very different visions, different values, different forces at work, and you have to have somebody who is a proven fighter – somebody who has taken them on and won, and kept going, and will do that as President.”
Sanders, going first before an intimate audience of Iowa Democratic voters, looked more at ease than ever in mounting full-frontal attacks on his rival. He hit Clinton hard over her vote for the war in Iraq, her slow pivot toward Democrats who oppose the Keystone Pipeline and a vast Pacific trade pact. In short, he sought to make the case that she might have the most experience but he had the best judgment.
Clinton, meanwhile, seemed better prepared than she has been for much of her campaign to parry Sanders’ claims that she is a late comer to the cause of economic inequality, and seized on warm words from President Barack Obama in an interview with Politico released Monday to argue that only she could be trusted to win an election and safeguard his legacy.
And there were odd moments of surprise insight into the candidates’ personalities and senses of humor as Sanders related his youthful athletic prowess as a talented elementary school basketball player and Clinton offered a gracious review of Sanders’ widely praised new campaign ad.
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
US Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Chicago in March 2019. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress.
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders, right, leads a sit-in organized by the Congress of Racial Equality in 1962. The demonstration was staged to oppose housing segregation at the University of Chicago. It was Chicago's first civil rights sit-in.
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Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders takes the oath of office to become the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981. He ran as an independent and won the race by 10 votes.
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Donna Light/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders, right, tosses a baseball before a minor-league game in Vermont in 1984. US Sen. Patrick Leahy, center, was also on hand.
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Toby Talbot/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In 1987, Sanders and a group of Vermont musicians recorded a spoken-word folk album. "We Shall Overcome" was first released as a cassette that sold about 600 copies. When Sanders entered the US presidential race in 2015, the album surged in online sales. But at a CNN town hall, Sanders said, "It's the worst album ever recorded."
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Toby Talbot/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders reads mail at his campaign office in Burlington in 1990. He was running for the US House of Representatives after an unsuccessful bid in 1988.
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Steve Liss/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In 1990, Sanders defeated US Rep. Peter Smith in the race for Vermont's lone House seat. He won by 16 percentage points.
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Rob Swanson/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders sits next to President Bill Clinton in 1993 before the Congressional Progressive Caucus held a meeting at the White House. Sanders co-founded the caucus in 1991 and served as its first chairman.
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Marcy Nighswander/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Barack Obama, then a US senator, endorses Sanders' Senate bid at a rally in Burlington in 2006.
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TOBY TALBOT/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders takes part in a swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol in January 2007. He won his Senate seat with 65% of the vote.
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David Scull/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders chats with Dr. John Matthew, director of The Health Center in Plainfield, Vermont, in May 2007. Sanders was in Plainfield to celebrate a new source of federal funding for The Health Center.
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Toby Talbot/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks to reporters in 2010 about the Obama administration's push to extend Bush-era tax cuts. Three days later, Sanders held a filibuster against the reinstatement of the tax cuts. His speech, which lasted more than eight hours, was published in book form in 2011. It is called "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class."
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Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders and US Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, walk to a news conference on Capitol Hill in 2014. Sanders was chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In March 2015, Sanders speaks in front of letters and petitions asking Congress to reject proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
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Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In July 2015, two months after announcing he would be seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for President, Sanders spoke to nearly 10,000 supporters in Madison, Wisconsin. "Tonight we have made a little bit of history," he said. "You may know that some 25 candidates are running for President of the United States, but tonight we have more people at a meeting for a candidate for President of the United States than any other candidate has."
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Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Seconds after Sanders took the stage for a campaign rally in August 2015, a dozen protesters from Seattle's Black Lives Matter chapter jumped barricades and grabbed the microphone from the senator. Holding a banner that said "Smash Racism," two of the protesters -- Marissa Johnson, left, and Mara Jacqueline Willaford -- began to address the crowd.
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Elaine Thompson/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders shakes hands with Hillary Clinton at a Democratic debate in Las Vegas in October 2015. The hand shake came after Sanders' take on the Clinton email scandal. "Let me say something that may not be great politics, but the secretary is right -- and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails, let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
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Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders embraces Remaz Abdelgader, a Muslim student, during an October 2015 event at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Asked what he would do about Islamophobia in the United States, Sanders said he was determined to fight racism and "build a nation in which we all stand together as one people."
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Alex Wong/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders waves while walking in a Veterans Day parade in Lebanon, New Hampshire, in November 2015.
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BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS/Newscom
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders sits with rapper and activist Killer Mike at the Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta in November 2015. That evening, Killer Mike introduced Sanders at a campaign event in the city. "I'm talking about a revolutionary," the rapper told supporters. "In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that Sen. Bernie Sanders is the right man to lead this country."
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David Goldman/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Comedian Larry David and Sanders appear together on "Saturday Night Live" in February 2016. David had played Sanders in a series of sketches throughout the campaign season.
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Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders and his wife, Jane, wave to the crowd during a primary night rally in Concord, New Hampshire, in February 2016. Sanders defeated Clinton in the New Hampshire primary with 60% of the vote, becoming the first Jewish candidate to win a presidential primary.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in March 2016. He won the state's primary the next day, an upset that delivered a sharp blow to Clinton's hopes of quickly securing the nomination.
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JIM YOUNG/REUTERS/Newscom
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks at a campaign event in New York's Washington Square Park in April 2016.
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D Dipasupil/WireImage/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks at a rally in Santa Monica, California, in June 2016. He pledged to stay in the Democratic race even though Clinton secured the delegates she needed to become the presumptive nominee.
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John Locher/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders endorses Clinton at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in July 2016.
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Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders addresses delegates on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in July 2016.
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Anthony Behar/SIPA/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders brings a giant printout of one of Donald Trump's tweets to a Senate debate in January 2017. In the tweet, Trump had promised not to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
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Senate TV
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders thanks supporters after winning re-election to the Senate in November 2018.
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Charles Krupa/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders looks at his notes as he watches President Trump deliver the State of the Union address in February 2019. That month, Sanders announced that he would be running for president again.
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Win McNamee/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders hugs a young supporter during a campaign rally in Los Angeles in March 2019.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders addresses the audience at a CNN town hall in Washington in April 2019.
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David Holloway for CNN
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks next to former Vice President Joe Biden at the first Democratic debates in June 2019.
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Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders raises his fist as he holds a rally in Santa Monica, California, in July 2019.
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Damian Dovarganes/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders grabs the hand of US Sen. Elizabeth Warren during the Democratic debates in Detroit in July 2019.
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Mark Peterson/Redux for CNN
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders campaigns at the University of New Hampshire in September 2019. A few days later, he took himself off the campaign trail after doctors treated a blockage in one of his arteries. Sanders suffered a heart attack, his campaign confirmed.
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduces Sanders at a New York rally after endorsing him for president in October 2019.
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Mary Altaffer/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In a tense and dramatic exchange moments after a Democratic debate, Warren accused Sanders of calling her a liar on national television. Sanders responded that it was Warren who called him a liar. Earlier in the debate, the two disagreed on whether Sanders told Warren, during a private dinner in 2018, that he didn't believe a woman could win the presidency.
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Victor J. Blue for CNN
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders laughs during a primary-night rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, in February 2020. Sanders won the primary, just as he did in 2016.
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Matt Rourke/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
A triumphant Sanders raises his fist in San Antonio after he was projected to win the Nevada caucuses.
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Eric Gay/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden talk before a Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2020.
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Matt Rourke/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders addresses supporters during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 2020.
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Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks to reporters in Burlington, Vermont, a day after Super Tuesday II. Sanders said it "was not a good night for our campaign from a delegate point of view" but that he looked forward to staying in the race and taking on Joe Biden in an upcoming debate.
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Charles Krupa/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Biden greets Sanders with an elbow bump before the start of a debate in Washington in March 2020. They went with an elbow bump instead of a handshake because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Sarah Silbiger for CNN
Sanders made the vast gap between the rich and poor and the “recklessness” and “greed” of Wall Street the centerpiece of his performance, as he warned that the wealthy would have to pay more in taxes.
“We need a political revolution,” he said. “We are touching a nerve with the American people who understand that establishment politics is just not good enough.”
Sanders dismissed Clinton’s political record, seeking to prove he was closer to the Democratic Party base and just as prepared to be President as Clinton.
“I voted against the war in Iraq … Hillary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq,” Sanders said. “I led the effort against Wall Street deregulation. See where Hillary Clinton was on this issue.”
“On day one, I said the Keystone Pipeline was a dumb idea. Why did it take Hillary Clinton a long time before she came into opposition to the Keystone Pipeline? I didn’t have to think hard about opposing the Trans Pacific Partnership. It took Hillary Clinton a long time to come on board on that.”
He also warned unapologetically that taxes would go up if he is elected President, especially to pay for his Medicare-for-all health care plan.
“We will raise taxes. Yes we will,” Sanders said, but added that American families would be better off overall as they would save money on private premiums.
Eight years after she lost Iowa to Obama, Clinton again faces the unappetizing prospect of losing the caucuses to a candidate who has energized young voters and is coming at her from her left.
But she responded by making her most effective counter yet to Sanders’ charge that she is out of step with the infectious desire for political change that animates her party, particularly among younger voters. After one young man asked her why voters did not trust her, she said that the only reason she is controversial is because she is a substantive political figure who never gave up.
“They throw all this stuff at me, and I’m still standing,” Clinton said.
Then, warming to her theme, she sought to debunk the idea that her long history as a figure of the political establishment eroded her progressive credentials.
“I have been on the front lines of change and progress since I was your age,” Clinton told the man in one of her most animated moments of the campaign. “I have taken on the status quo time and time again.”
Clinton also said she was “really touched and gratified” by Obama’s warm assessment of her character during the Politico interview, and related how her relationship with her former political rival developed into a close friendship when she served as his first-term secretary of state. She also took a shot at Republican front-runner Donald Trump, rebuking him for targeting Muslims in America and around the world.
And showing a softer side, she praised a Sanders’ ad featuring an evocative tableau of U.S life set against the soundtrack of Simon and Garfunkel’s 1960s folk anthem “America.”
“That’s fabulous, I loved it,” Clinton said, but then quickly pivoted to the crux of her argument: “I believe I’m the better person to be the Democratic nominee and to be the President of this country.”
Clinton mounted a staunch defense of her record as secretary of state, telling Democrats worried about her hawkish instincts that military force should only be used as a last resort. She also claimed credit for framing a sanctions regime on Iran that led to a recently concluded nuclear deal and highlighted an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza she brokered in 2012.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.
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Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School.
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Lee Balterman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
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Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea.
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DONALD R. BROYLES/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985.
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A. Lynn/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President.
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Danny Johnston/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992.
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CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
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LYNNE SLADKY/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus.
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STEPHAN SAVOIA/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993.
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TIM CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993.
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Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995.
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
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AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President.
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Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997.
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KATHY WILLENS/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
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PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
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NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998.
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Roberto Borea/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999.
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SUSAN WALSH/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year.
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KATHY WILLENS/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
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Harry Hamburg/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001.
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Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003.
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BILL PUGLIANO/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007.
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Ronda Churchill/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama.
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The Washington Post/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state.
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Charles Dharapak/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010.
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Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/POOL/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010.
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Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
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Pete Souza/The White House/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails.
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Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Brendan Smialowski/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012.
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JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014.
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Isaac Brekken/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015.
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Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities.
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Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
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ADAM ROSE/CNN
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015.
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Evan Vucci/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April.
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you."
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@hillaryclinton/Twitter
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state.
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David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president.
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Andrew Harnik/AP
But Clinton was thrown on the defensive at one point, when she was asked about the controversy over her private email server that has dogged her campaign and is under investigation by the F.B.I. amid claims she recklessly left classified intelligence at risk of being intercepted by foreign spy agencies.
“I’m not willing to say it was an error in judgment because nothing I did was wrong,” Clinton said.
Long-shot candidate Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, also appeared on stage and argued that he represented a generational change in politics that neither Sanders nor Clinton could match.
“Lift up a new leader, because you can change the course of this presidential race. You can shift this dynamic on caucus night. I know you can, I’ve seen you do it before,” O’Malley beseeched the audience at the end of his pitch.
The latest polls show Clinton and Sanders locked in a tight contest in Iowa. In the most recent CNN Poll of Polls, Sanders edges Clinton 46% to 44% in Iowa, with O’Malley at 4%.
And in a new CNN/ORC national poll published on Monday, Clinton led Sanders 52% to 38% with O’Malley way back at 2%. Though the survey showed a significant cushion for Clinton, her advantage was smaller than at any time since September. The poll showed women, non-whites, self-identified Democrats, and those over age 50 breaking sharply for Clinton. Men, white voters, independents who lean Democratic and younger voters are more likely to support Sanders.
The Iowa contest is particularly important to Clinton, who lost the state in 2008, setting in motion Obama’s path to the White House. A victory for Sanders could reshape the entire Democratic race while a Clinton win could quell jitters in her camp and help put her on the path to the nomination.
Clinton, however, insisted she wasn’t worried.
“I’m proud of the campaign we’ve run and what we’ve put out there before the American people,” she said. “It’s a tough campaign and it should be because it’s the toughest job in the world.”
