Clinton goes to Iowa Democrats' dinner with new energy

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hillary Rodham Clinton is embracing President Barack Obama's legacy, now that she doesn't have to worry about a challenge from his vice president, as the Democratic campaign shifts to Iowa in what has essentially become a two-person race for the nomination.

The pared-down presidential field addressed Iowa Democrats on Saturday night at an influential party fundraiser, a venue that helped launch Obama eight years earlier. Clinton went to the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner with newfound energy after Vice President Joe Biden announced he would not enter the presidential race and she put a grinding appearance at a congressional committee probing the deadly 2012 Benghazi attacks behind her.

Two lesser-known rivals, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee, abandoned the race after Clinton's strong performance earlier this month in the first primary debate.

Joining with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, her 2008 presidential campaign chairman, Clinton held up Obama and Biden on Friday as a model for the country and said she would build upon their agenda.

"Their records should make Democrats proud, and they should make Americans proud," Clinton said. In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Clinton said she wanted to "build on the progress that they are leaving behind. I feel very strongly about that."

Biden's move has effectively turned the Democratic campaign into a contest between Clinton, who remains the front-runner, and Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has drawn large crowds as he calls for a "political revolution" to address the chasm between the wealthy and the poor.

"I worry very much that both economically and politically our country is sliding into oligarchy," Sanders said Friday during a women's forum sponsored by the Democratic National Committee.

Clinton's association with Obama's agenda could help her with Democrats who have viewed her warily after a rough spell for her campaign, marked by scrutiny over her use of a private email system while she was secretary of state.

Sanders, meanwhile, repeatedly notes the large numbers of Democratic voters who stayed home in the 2014 midterm elections and says the party needs to mobilize working-class voters who have eluded Democrats in recent times.

The three Democratic campaigns planned parties, concerts and rallies to stoke enthusiasm at the Iowa dinner.

Former President Bill Clinton was set to headline a Saturday afternoon concert along with pop star Katy Perry. He's appeared at private fundraisers and joined his wife at an early New York rally but has yet to campaign actively.

"He's an enormous asset," said Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri.

Sanders held a Friday night concert in Davenport, Iowa -- dubbed "Bernie's All-Star Band -- with members of Alice in Chains, The Samples and MC5. On tap for Saturday: a march with supporters along a bridge over the Des Moines River.

O'Malley, who has badly trailed Clinton and Sanders in polls, is a member of a Celtic Irish band and planned to break out his guitar at pre-dinner events.

A recent Iowa poll by Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register found Clinton with a slight lead in the state over Sanders, with the two candidates the choice of 9 in 10 voters. O'Malley was at 2 percent.

"Bernie Sanders is still a threat," said Mo Elleithee, a former Clinton campaign aide who now leads the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service. "He can still mobilize a significant portion of the Democratic base."

But he said Clinton is getting stronger and "more and more people who were nervous are feeling more comfortable with her."

Following Clinton's appearance before the Benghazi panel, her campaign announced that it had more than 500,000 donors since launching in spring, including about 100,000 new donors in October. Sanders has reported about 650,000 donors through the end of September, with the vast majority of his $40 million coming from small online contributions.