Democrats push for Warren presidential campaign

DES MOINES - Despite the fact Elizabeth Warren has balked at running for president multiple times, more than 50 Democratic voters crammed into a downtown Des Moines coffee house Wednesday to express their support for a Warren campaign in 2016.

The progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org hosted the event.

Grassroots support has been building for a presidential run by Warren, a Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts. But thus far, Warren has said she is not running.

Some Democratic voters hope Warren changes her mind.

'I think if she would enter the race, she would change the conversation,” said Megan Klee of Des Moines, sporting her 'Run Warren Run” T-shirt. 'I find it unbelievable during the last election many things weren't discussed that should have been discussed.”

Wealth inequality was frequently mentioned as a key issue to those who attended Wednesday's event.

'I really feel like she is the only potential candidate out there now who can raise the issues of inequality of wealth in America,” Allan Kniep of Des Moines said. 'And I think that has to be addressed.”

Another progressive group, Democracy for America, announced Wednesday night that it was joining MoveOn's 'Run Warren Run” campaign by pledging $250,000 in the campaign to draft Warren to run for president. Part of those funds will be used to establish offices and personnel in Iowa.

A Democracy for America media release said 87 percent of its members voted to approve its plan to join the Warren drafting campaign. MoveOn said 81 percent of its members expressed their support for Warren.

'This moment was made for Senator Warren, and we're ready to show her the tremendous energy around and support for her candidacy,” MoveOn Political Action director Ilya Sheyman said in a statement.

The question remains whether activists can convince Warren to throw her hat in the ring.

Klee is not yet sure.

'I wish I was a fortune teller,” she joked.

Most polls show that if Hillary Clinton opts to run for president, she will be the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination. The former Secretary of State, U.S. senator and first lady is above 50 percent in Real Clear Politics' polling average, while other candidates, including Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders - who just finished a two-day Iowa trip earlier Wednesday - lag far behind.

Klee noted President Barack Obama was in third place for the Democratic nomination leading up to the 2008 Iowa caucuses.

'Anything can happen,” she said.