Iowa is just one of two states — along with Mississippi — that has never elected a woman to Congress or governor. But an EMILY’s List poll in April found Iowa Democrats to be more willing to vote for a woman for president than Democrats in other battleground states.

“There is no doubt that President Obama set the bar pretty high for how Democrats run their caucus campaigns — a true grassroots organization with momentum and energy that got people excited,” Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan said. “I think Iowa Democrats look forward to doing the same type of work in 2014 and 2016, whether it’s behind Hillary or any other Democratic candidate. Iowans know that building a strong volunteer organization that connects young people, women and minorities is key to paving the way to the White House. No one should ever take Iowa Democrats for granted.”

A July poll by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling found Clinton has a 59-percentage-point lead in the Hawkeye State over Vice President Joe Biden, with 71 percent of potential Democratic caucus-goers supporting her…

“Hillary will have to do a lot more than I think she’s going to be willing to do to win,” said David Kochel, a GOP consultant who ran Mitt Romney’s Iowa campaign last year. “She’s never been a real fan of Iowa if you believe the inside reporting from 2008 and Bill Clinton never ran in a caucus. It will leave a wide-open opportunity for someone willing to run a Santorum-style, or Jimmy Carter-style effort here. Yes, she’s the frontrunner, but Iowa is built to put dents in frontrunners.”