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By Perry Bacon Jr.

Democratic activists have so far had one message for potential presidential candidates: If you're name isn't Clinton or Warren, we aren't interested.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have made numerous trips to Iowa and left little doubt they are strongly considering 2016 runs. Virginia Sen. Jim Webb established a formal presidential exploratory committee last month, becoming the only candidate in either party to do so. But the trio has generated little support or interest.

Liberal groups like MoveOn.org who are looking for a more progressive alternative to Hillary Clinton, have bypassed these three candidates to endorse Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has said repeatedly she will not run for president.

Meanwhile, the three are being rejected even by Democrats in their home states. Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont and once one of the leading voices in the party's left wing, announced this month he was endorsing Clinton over Sanders, who was formerly mayor of Dean's hometown, Burlington. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the Democrat who succeeded Webb in the Senate, told Bloomberg earlier this month he is also backing Clinton.

A few weeks ago, Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski spoke at a "Ready for Hillary" event, a direct sign she is not backing her state's outgoing governor.

These early endorsements are critical for candidates to raise money, hire staff and build viable campaigns. And if they can't build more support over the next few months, O'Malley, Sanders and Webb may either be forced to say they are not following through with full-fledged presidential campaigns or run long-shot candidacies with little to no chance of victory.

Progressives are hungry for a real champion on income inequality, but there are also progressives who are really interested in seeing a woman run and win the presidency

"Finding the oxygen [to compete] will be challenging for these guys," said John Davis, who was an adviser for John Edwards' campaign in Iowa in 2008 and then served as chief of staff to Iowa Rep. Bruce Braley. "At this moment, they've got a lot of work to do."

The dynamic among the Democrats is virtually unprecedented in American politics: one woman the heavy favorite for a party's nomination, another her strongest potential opponent, and three male candidates struggling to compete with them.

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Democrats Eyeing a Clinton Challenge Get Icy Reception