Democrats looking for non-Clinton

DES MOINES, Iowa  — Not every Iowa Democrat is cheering for Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for president. Some have a gnawing desire for someone else.

Whether that yearning stems from real political differences with Clinton or simply interest in a new face, these Iowans aren’t shy about saying so.

“I want to see what others do, like Elizabeth Warren,” says Nancy Bobo, one of President Barack Obama’s earliest supporters in the state. Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, has said she’s not running, but her name comes up nonetheless.

“No one thought there was any room for anyone else in 2008,” Bobo says, “and there was.”

Bobo was not the only one in the crowd at Sunday’s Harkin Steak Fry who wasn’t wearing a “Ready for Hillary” sticker. Hundreds of volunteers for a political action committee set up for a potential Clinton candidacy handed out the stickers during retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s farewell event in rural Iowa.

Both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, spoke at Harkin’s fundraiser. Her reception from thousands of Iowa Democratic true believers, though enthusiastic, came with some restraint. There were no chants of “Run, Hillary, run,” perhaps reflecting activists’ understanding that Clinton represents the party’s best chance of winning but might lack the spark for a movement like Obama’s candidacy in 2007.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has been the Democrats’ busiest potential Clinton alternative. This year, he has come to Iowa three times and contributed $31,500 directly to candidates. He also is the only White House prospect paying staff — 11 of them this fall — to work on Iowa campaigns.

Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia have headlined Democratic activist events in Iowa and met with candidates and key groups, such as labor unions. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has been to Iowa twice since 2013, and plans to headline the state Democratic Party’s annual fall fundraiser in October. Liberal independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has visited Iowa and was holding town hall-style meetings in the state the same day Clinton appeared with Harkin.

Warren hasn’t visited Iowa but is hosting a fundraiser for Senate candidate Bruce Braley in October.