Two of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's aides have flown to two early voting states to build the foundation for her expected presidential campaign.
Robby Mook, believed to be Clinton's national campaign manager, and her director of state campaigns and political engagement Marlon Marshall are in New Hampshire on Monday and Tuesday to meet with Democratic officials, activists, and supporters and officials from the labor and progressive communities, according to a report by WMUR. Specifically, they will be going to Concord and Manchester and are planning to stay at the homes of Clinton's supporters.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the men will be visiting Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City accompanied by Matt Paul, said to be Clinton's state director for her Iowa campaign.
Democratic supporters believe Clinton's aides' visit to the Hawkeye State will serve as a new marker for Iowa, which Clinton has avoided since attending the annual Tom Harkin dinner in September, where she dropped strong hints of a comeback presidential campaign after losing to Barack Obama in the 2008 caucuses.
"I think the clearest signal is that she's going to be in Iowa and they're not going to take anything for granted," Rep. Tyler Olson of Cedar Springs, a former state Democratic Party chairman, tells the Des Moines Register. "I can tell you: She's serious about Iowa and there's going to be a big campaign structure here."
But critics are more excited to more of Clinton herself, not her aides. Coinciding with Mook and Marshall's visit to New Hampshire is a personal drop-in by former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is believed to be challenging Clinton in the Democratic primary, as well as Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, another likely Democratic candidate.
Both are also scheduled to fly to Iowa next month, while Vice Pres. Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have visited the state to lay the groundwork for their expected campaigns.
"We know that we have a viable, winnable candidate and so on," says Dan Fredrichs, Democratic Party chairman for Boone County of Iowa. "But we encourage her to put her toe in the water so that we can get to know her better as a candidate."
Democratic strategists believe Clinton has put off announcing her candidacy until the scandals that have recently surfaced to surround her die down. Most recently, she dodged questions as to why she chose to use her private email for conducting official State Department transactions even as all heads of department are required to use their official email for security and transparency.
