Core Issues

Clinton and Sanders Address Voter Skepticism at Iowa Democratic Forum

The audience at CNN's event gave voice to the issues that have dogged the leading candidates during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Hillary Clinton applauds during a CNN town hall event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 25, 2016.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

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By Jennifer Epstein and Margaret Talev

January 26, 2016 at 6:17 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Hoping to persuade undecided Democrats with just a week until the Iowa caucuses, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders took on some of the questions that have most dogged their candidacies, from trustworthiness and e-mails to feasibility and socialism.

Clinton sought to quell concerns about her honesty and judgment, while Sanders aimed to tell voters that his ambitious proposals are actually workable as they and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley took the stage separately at Drake University in Des Moines for their final group appearance before Iowans go to their caucus sites on the night of Feb. 1. By and large, the two leading candidates performed strongly, parrying their stump speeches into forceful answers for the Hawkeye State and beyond.