But while the overall message of trust in the presumptive frontrunner is clear, the saga is also exposing deep party-wide anxieties about having so much invested in a single candidate, more than 20 months before November 2016.

“It adds more reason to get other people involved in this process, to make sure we have other strong, good candidates running,” said Larry Hogden, chairman of Iowa’s Cedar County Democrats. “Because, who knows? She could implode totally.”

Some locals are “wringing their hands and shaking their heads,” said Linda Nelson, chairwoman of Iowa’s Pottawattamie County Democrats. “It’s just one more straw that can break the camel’s back, in their eyes.”