Clinton: ‘This campaign isn’t going to be about me’

Hillary Clinton rounded up her first campaign swing with an op-ed in a top Iowa newspaper in which she emphasized her campaign’s commitments to regular Americans and echoed the progressive platform she’s been touting on the campaign trail.

{mosads}“Americans have come back from tough economic times. But the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top,” she wrote in The Des Moines Register.

“Americans are working harder and getting more productive, but they aren’t seeing the reward in their paychecks. So it’s time to reshuffle the deck and deal a better hand to the middle class.”

Clinton’s op-ed summarized the main message of her campaign by mentioning the stories of a handful of Iowans she met with by name. That strategy seeks to take the emphasis off her political celebrity in favor of more personalized discussions with voters.

“When I came to Iowa, I wanted to do something a little different. No big speeches or rallies. Just talking directly with everyday Iowans,” she wrote.

“Because this campaign isn’t going to be about me, it’s going to be about Iowans and people across our country who are ready for a better future.”

“You are the reason I got into this race and I will work my heart out to earn your votes.”

She also re-emphasized her four “big fights,” the campaign pillars that she began to tease on the trip, which include bolstering the economy, strengthening families, reforming campaign finance laws, and protecting the country from threats.

After her announcement in early April, she immediately took off for Iowa and then New Hampshire for a series of low-key meetings with voters. Clinton is expected to hold a larger campaign kickoff in the next few months.