Clinton’s Narrow Win Sparks Nervousness Among Supporters

Hillary Clinton emerged from Iowa with a razor-thin victory over Bernie Sanders — and a new round of nervous second-guessing from supporters

Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks during a campaign stop at Dr. William U. Pearson Community Center on August 18, 2015 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Isaac Brekken/Getty Images

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire—Hillary Clinton emerged from Iowa with a razor-thin victory over Bernie Sanders — and a new round of nervous second-guessing from supporters.

Topping the list of concerns is Clinton’s staggering disadvantage with young voters, a crucial Democratic constituency that overwhelmingly sided with Sanders. Clinton supporters are also worried that the campaign is still struggling with a muddled message, a problem that plagued her not only in the opening months of this campaign but also in her failed 2008 White House bid.

But this time the Democratic hand-wringing is balanced by something more positive: cautious optimism that she has an organization that might overcome her weaknesses.

“Momentum was with Sanders,” said Mo Elleithee, a former Clinton campaign aide. “The organization kicked in, and she got scrappy.”

While Clinton's voter-targeting and get-out-the-vote efforts may have put her over the top in Iowa — barely — the campaign underperformed by its own expectations.