Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democrat's clear frontrunner for the 2016 Presidential race returned to Iowa on Sunday for the first time since 2008. The former First Lady, while attending the 37th annual Harkin Steak Fry, waved to supporters and stated emphatically "I'm back."
Clinton was attending Tom Harkin's annual Steak Fry alongside her husband former President Bill Clinton. The event was expected to draw more than 5000 democratic party activists, who have formed the center of the Iowa campaigns every four years, further fuelling speculation on a possible 2016 White House bid.
The former New York Senator and former Secretary of State told the crowd that her focus at the moment was helping fellow Democrats in the midterm elections, ensuring a senate majority as President Barrack Obama winds down his two final years. However, she was quick to fuel further speculation on a presidential bid saying she thinks about "that other thing." "It's true, I've been thinking about it," she told the ecstatic crowd. "People get excited about presidential campaigns, look I get excited about presidential campaigns, too."
In her speech, she congratulated President Barrack Obama for steering the country towards economic recovery. She made no mention of Obama's policy on the ISIS militants.
In 2008, her last visit to Iowa, Clinton finished third behind president Obama and John Edwards. Clinton suffered a massive fallout from Iowa democrats after anti-war activists opposed her voting to authorize the Iraq war in 2002. Obama, then senator, had voted against the war. Clinton would arrive blockaded by a large entourage in a state where face-to-face campaigns were the seller, which Obama cashed in on. "Barack Obama was a phenomenon. He just was. I'll give him credit," Senator Harkin said as regards the 2008 race, "he worked hard in Iowa, but so did she."
Clinton, who has said she will decide on whether to run next year, will start with a huge lead as per recent polls, even ahead of Vice President Joe Biden and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.
The event was held to commemorate Senator Harkin's retirement after four decades in congress.