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Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) -- Hillary Clinton opened the door to a presidential bid a little wider over the weekend at the Harkin Steak Fry in Iowa.

And now veterans from her 2008 campaign and Iowans urging her to run in 2016 are calling for her to use the state's first-in-the-nation caucus to slam the door shut on the Democratic nomination.

Their message is simple: If you win in Iowa, you will be the nominee. If you let someone hang around -- or win -- you could cost yourself the nomination.

Hillary Clinton returns to Iowa: A fresh start or deja vu?

"I think that Secretary Clinton can close the door in Iowa. It is going to take a lot of work, but it is out there to be done," said Jerry Crawford, Midwest co-chairman for Clinton's 2008 campaign. "I think if she wins ... it would be very difficult, very unlikely that anybody could mount a challenge after Iowa."

Crawford, who also ran Bill Clinton's 1992 and 1996 presidential campaigns in Iowa, said he has expressed this sentiment to Hillary Clinton's closest advisers and aides.

There is a level of bluntness in those who advocate for Clinton to run hard in Iowa, and it stems largely from her history in the state.

Some of it is self-serving. The more active Clinton is in Iowa, the more other candidates will be forced to campaign in the state. That means money for Iowa's economy -- some economists estimate that more than $51 million was spent in Iowa in 2008 around the caucuses. And it raises Iowa politicos' profiles.

The other reason has more to do with Clinton's record in Iowa. Most Clinton supporters in the state feel that the nomination was hers to lose in 2008 and don't want the same thing to happen in 2016.

Originally posted here:
Iowa Democrats to Clinton: Slam the door shut in Iowa