| 1 | Hillary Clinton has locked in the endorsement from the godfather of Iowa Democratic politics, a boon to her campaign as she heads to the state over the weekend. |
| 2 | Former Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a populist hero to many of the state's Democrats, threw his support to Clinton Friday in an op-ed in the Des Moines Register. |
| 3 | "We need a fighter who has a record of getting things done and the vision for the future that will build on the progress we've made. For my wife, Ruth and I, that candidate is Hillary Clinton," he writes. |
| 4 | "She has been a tireless advocate for women and families since I first met her. " |
| 5 | Harkin probably remains the most popular Democratic figure in the state, having retired a year ago after three decades in office. |
| 6 | He'll join Clinton at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. |
| 7 | Clinton will be addressing a large gathering of state Democrats alongside Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and her other primary rivals Friday night. |
| 8 | All the candidates are attending the state fair in Des Moines this weekend, though Clinton has opted out of speaking at the Register's soapbox, an annual tradition, drawing criticism from some corners. |
| 9 | Harkin and the Clintons have a long relationship going back to Bill Clinton's presidency and their joint push to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Clintons' failed healthcare reform push. |
| 10 | She made her much-ballyhooed return to Iowa last summer at Harkin's final Steak Fry, an annual Democratic fundraiser he held, after not visiting the state since her 2008 loss in the Iowa caucuses. |