Hillary Clinton made her final pitch for Democratic voters in Iowa Monday, telling TODAY she stands by her deep political experience and the legacy of the White House incumbent — and that President Obama hasn’t received “the credit he deserves” for his work.
In an interview with TODAY’s Matt Lauer, Clinton defended Obama against claims by her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, who has expressed disappointment in the president’s achievements the past eight years.
“I think what President Obama inherited, an economy that was in the ditch, he doesn’t get the credit for pulling it out. He doesn’t get the credit that he deserves for the Affordable Care act, something we’ve been trying to do, that I sure tried to do to get us on the path for universal coverage,” she said.
Clinton campaigned over the weekend with her daughter and husband. Hoping the support of a former president would help swing undecided voters, Clinton campaigned to fend off Sanders, who has turned the Democratic race in Iowa into a battle where the two candidates are in a statistical dead heat.
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Clinton won a major endorsement over the weekend from the New York Times editorial board, which called her the “most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history.”
Clinton pointed to her work as first lady, in the U.S. Senate and as the past secretary of state as examples of being “a progressive who actually likes to get things done, not just talk about it, but deliver for the people.”
"I think I have the record, the experience, the know-how to get it done," she said, pointing to her background and the work she did in the current administration. "I think President Obama has made a great effort that has resulted in lots of positive changes for our country."