Politics | Clinton 2008 Why Iowa's a Slog for Hillary As memo predicted in May, the state has been an uphill battle By Kevin Spak Posted Jan 2, 2008 2:05 PM CST Copied Audience members sign in prior to a campaign stop of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. in Vinton, Iowa, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (Associated Press) The Hillary Clinton camp was convinced that the road to the nomination must go through Iowa, but right about now they may be wishing they'd taken the advice of an aide who urged her to bypass the first caucus state completely. Politico revisits the aide's May memo for keys to her disappointing standing with one day left: For starters, the Hawkeye State has never elected a woman—not as governor, senator, or congresswoman. Iowa Dems also tend to be pretty liberal, and many won’t forgive Hillary her Iraq vote. And third, since Bill sat out 1992, she had no pre-built operation to overcome those negatives. She's gambling heavily on bringing out women, young and old, looking to elect the first president of their gender, Time notes. But as first-time caucusgoers are notoriously unreliable at showing up, there's no telling whether they'll do the trick. Read These Next Actor Michael Madsen is dead at 67. Soccer star Diogo Jota is killed in a car crash. Police shot a bank robber as a drone delivered some Faygo Red Pop. Extremely rare bat-borne virus claims a human life. Report an error