In Iowa, Hillary Clinton issues call to action

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Hillary Rodham Clinton jumped back into the partisan fray in Iowa on Sunday, framing the November midterm elections as "a choice between the guardians of gridlock and the champions of shared opportunity" and warning Democrats of the consequences of complacency.

On a day when many activists were sizing her up as a potential 2016 presidential candidate, Clinton sprinkled her speech at retiring Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry with playful teases about what may be coming. She began her remarks saying, "I'm baaaa-aack!" and ended with, "Let's not let another seven years go by."

Clinton's visit to Harkin's 37th and final steak fry was her first trip to Iowa since her demoralizing loss in the 2008 presidential caucuses and one of her few partisan appearances since joining the Obama administration as secretary of state. She acknowledged that she is thinking about another presidential run, but urged her audience to focus squarely on the November midterms, when control of the Senate is up for grabs and could be decided in Iowa.

In a nod to the state's role hosting the first presidential caucuses, Clinton added, "Too many people only get excited about presidential campaigns. Look, I get excited about presidential campaigns, too. But . . . use the enthusiasm that Iowa is so well-known for every presidential year and channel that into these upcoming elections."

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, drew an estimated 10,000 Democrats - and some 200 members of the press corps - on a crisp, clear-skied Sunday to a sloping, grassy balloon field outside Indianola. As the couple spoke from a stage adorned with bales of hay, pumpkins and a giant American flag, the atmosphere was both festive and serious.

Both Clintons urged Iowa Democrats to do all they could to elect Rep. Bruce Braley (D., Iowa) who is locked in a tight race to replace Harkin, and referenced his opponent, Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst, although not by name. Hillary Clinton mentioned Ernst's opposition to a federal minimum wage and noted that women hold a majority of minimum-wage jobs, including those that rely mostly on tips, such as waiters, bartenders and hairstylists.

For Hillary Clinton, Sunday's steak-fry appearance was a chance to rebuild her ties to Iowa, where she finished a surprising third in the 2008 caucuses - behind Barack Obama and John Edwards. She left here feeling scorned, and her husband voiced criticism of the state's unique caucus system. To many Democratic activists, her campaign came across as aloof.

On Sunday, Clinton tried to make a more personal connection in Iowa. She was chummy with Harkin and some supporters as she cheerfully flipped steaks at a hot grill. Later, in her speech, she said she is eagerly awaiting her first grandchild. "I'm calling Chelsea every five minutes," she said of her daughter.

Over the years, Harkin's steak fry has become one of the signal political events on the fall calendar for Democrats. Bill Clinton was making his fourth appearance as a featured speaker, the most of anyone who has appeared on the stage.