Advertisement

With Hillary Clinton in Iowa, potential challengers seek spotlight

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a town hall meeting at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. He told NBC that he's considering a run for the White House as a Democrat.
(Mike Burley / Telegraph Herald)
Share

Talk about sucking all the air out of the room.

Political junkies homed in on Hillary Rodham Clinton’s every move at Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry Sunday, hoping she might foreshadow her presidential intentions. Meanwhile, possible rivals for the 2016 Democratic nomination sought ways to get a little share of the spotlight.

Vice President Joe Biden -- who headlined the steak fry last year but did not come this year -- will travel to Des Moines on Wednesday to kick off a tour for Nuns on the Bus, a religious organization that focuses on social justice.

At last year’s steak fry, Biden delivered a fiery speech in which he called same-sex marriage a modern-day civil rights issue -- revving up Democrats and adding to speculation that he might embark on a third run for the White House.

Advertisement

Biden’s upcoming Iowa trip is billed as an official visit; as of Sunday, he has no political events scheduled.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has raised money and stumped several times this year for candidates in early-voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, remained in his home state over the weekend to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore.

During his two terms in office, O’Malley has championed an agenda popular with the Democratic base. Maryland has abolished the death penalty, granted in-state tuition rates to undocumented students, and implemented legislation to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $10.10 by 2018, from the current $7.25.

While visiting Iowa in July, O’Malley made clear to The Times that he’s weighing a run for president in 2016, saying that “multiple conversations” and “a lot of listening” will factor into his decision.

On Sunday, hours before Clinton spoke at the retiring Harkin’s 37th and final steak fry, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he’s considering a run for the White House in 2016 -- as a Democrat. Sanders is an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Sanders, who was in Iowa over the weekend, said he came to the Hawkeye State to “get a sense of how people feel about” his potential candidacy.

Advertisement

“The issue is not Hillary. I’ve known Hillary Clinton for many years. I have a lot of respect for Hillary Clinton,” he said. “The question is, at a time when so many people have seen a decline in their standard of living, when the wealthiest people and the largest corporations are doing phenomenally well, the American people want change.”

Follow @kurtisalee and email kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Advertisement