New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand made her real entrance into the presidential race Friday. Though she announced her run earlier in the week, Iowa is the true testing ground.
"I wanted to come to Iowa right away, particularly this place, to meet with voters and caucus-goers," Gillibrand said to members of the media.
Those caucus-goers can go a long way toward deciding a party's nominee, thanks to Iowa's first-in-the-nation nominating contest.
Gillibrand's challenge is to introduce herself to voters unfamiliar with her record. At her first stop, she talked to customers at a coffee house, highlighting her work on bipartisan legislation like the 9/11 health bill.
For some, it was welcome notion of civility. "I think she said the right words," one customer said. "How to reach out to everyone, how to talk to everyone, how to acknowledge our differences, how to attempt to be respectful."
Gillibrand's conversations delved into a range of issues, such as immigration, and at a gift shop where she picked up a leather bracelet, she talked about small business regulations.
Later, at an intimate house party, the Democrat told her personal story. "I grew up in upstate New York, a community not unlike this one," she told people gathered.
In explaining her decision to run, she spoke of darkness, hate, and division that President Donald Trump sparked.
"Only light can drive out darkness, only light can defeat darkness," the senator said. "So all of us are called — and this is where my faith comes in — all of us are called to make a difference in life."
Early reviews were positive; one Iowan appreciated her comments on farming.
"At the end she said, 'Thank you for feeding us,'" he said. "That was like that acknowledgement that she understands where their food comes from and the impact that it's had."
Gillibrand is slated to be the keynote speaker Saturday at a Women's March in Des Moines, with other campaign stops mixed in, before she heads back to New York on Sunday.