Clinton picks Monticello to kick off presidential campaign

DES MOINES - The Great Jones County Fair in Monticello has built a reputation for landing some of the hottest country music acts.

Tuesday afternoon, one of the nation's hottest political acts will kick off a comeback tour there when Hillary Clinton sits down with students and faculty at the Jones County Regional Center of Kirkwood Community College in Monticello.

Clinton is scheduled to tour an advanced manufacturing lab and meet with about a half dozen students and faculty for a discussion, according to campaign aides and Kirkwood officials.

It's the first of what Clinton, who officially launched her candidacy Sunday, is calling 'conversations with everyday Iowans.” On Wednesday, she will tour Capital City Fruit in Norwalk where she will meet with employees of the family-owned business followed by a discussion about small business.

The visit to Monticello demonstrates to Jones County Democratic Party Chairwoman Arlie Willems that Clinton is serious when she says her 2016 presidential campaign will be focused on real people and their concerns.

'I think she wants to start with the grass roots, and by starting in a rural area it accentuates her concerns about people who sometimes think they are ignored,” Willems said.

The visit to the town of about 4,000 people between Cedar Rapids and Dubuque highlights both Clinton's commitment to education as a means to economic security as well as her plan to 'touch communities that don't always get visits from presidential campaigns,” according to a campaign aide.

Willems is well aware the visit may be Clinton's only stop in Jones County and many Democrats would like to take the opportunity to meet her. She'd like to throw a big welcome for Clinton, but the Anamosa retiree is trying to respect the campaign's wishes to keep the former first lady's event low-key.

It may be the only time Terry Branstad and Clinton agree, but six-term Republican governor likes her initial strategy of holding small group meetings with Iowans.

'I know it's a departure. (President Barack) Obama did the big rallies and thousands of people,” he said. Every election is different. I happen to think that the strategy of being accessible to people and going all over the state is a good strategy.”

Branstad called Clinton's choice of the Monticello education venue 'intriguing” and a good place to interact with Iowans, noting he made a campaign stop at the same facility during the 2010 gubernatorial run.

At Kirkwood's Jones County facility, Clinton will see a cross-section of high school students and traditional and non-traditional community college students. The center is a partnership of Kirkwood and eight school district with about 350 students, according to Steve Ovel, executive director of governmental relations.

Jones County hasn't been a Democratic stronghold. It's represented in the Legislature by a Republican senator and representative and, like most of Iowa, backed Branstad and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in 2014.

Obama carried the county twice, but his margin fell from 1,041 votes in 2008 to 50 in 2012.

Des Moines Bureau Chief Rod Boshart contributed to this report.