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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waves as she walks with Senator Tom Harkin, former President Bill Clinton and Ruth Harkin at the 37th Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa, September 14, 2014. REUTERS/Jim Young

DES MOINES, Iowa - Hillary Clinton may seem like a shoe-in for the Democratic nomination if she runs for president in 2016, but Iowa Democrats - the first group of voters that the former secretary of state will have to charm on her way to the White House - have another plan in mind.

They want some alternatives to Clinton, who came in third in the Iowa caucuses in 2008 and aren't shy about saying so.

"I want to see what others do, like Elizabeth Warren," says Nancy Bobo, one of President Obama's earliest supporters in the state during the 2008 election. Warren, a senator from Massachusetts who was elected in 2012, said last year, "I'm not running for president and I plan to serve out my term." Still, some voters are holding out hope she'll declare her candidacy.

"No one thought there was any room for anyone else in 2008," Bobo says, "and there was."

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Clinton praised President Obama and rallied Democrats to turn out for the 2014 midterms during her first public event in Iowa since the 2008 pres...

Bobo was one of thousands who attended Sunday's annual steak fry hosted by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, but she was one of the attendees not sporting a "Ready for Hillary" sticker. Hundreds of volunteers from "Ready for Hillary," a political action committee set up by Clinton's supporters to prepare for a possible candidacy, distributed stickers during the event.

Both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, spoke at the Steak Fry. She was warmly received, but the enthusiasm was not over the top: No chants of "Run, Hillary, run," were heard, perhaps reflecting an understanding from her supporters that Clinton may lack the spark to inspire voters the way Mr. Obama did in 2008, even if she now is the party's best hope at winning the White House.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has been the Democrats' most active potential alternative to Clinton. He has already made three trips to Iowa this year and contributed $31,500 directly to candidates. He also is the only White House prospect paying staff - 11 of them this fall - to work on Iowa campaigns.

Excerpt from:
Iowa Democrats: Bring on the Hillary Clinton challengers