Politics | Hillary Clinton Hillary Faces Gender Hurdle in Iowa Calls state a 'special burden,' but holds six-point lead By Jane Yager Posted Oct 27, 2007 7:20 PM CDT Copied Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., gives a lecture at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Kevin Sanders) (Associated Press) Gender bias may topple Hillary's Iowa bid and hurt her image as shoo-in for the Dem nomination, the Christian Science Monitor reports. She calls the state a "special burden" and was "shocked" to hear Iowans had never elected a woman governor; analysts say she's downplaying her hopes in the state, where she holds a slim six-point lead over Edwards. A memo leaked from Hillary's campaign called Iowa "our consistently weakest state" and urged pulling out—advice that Hillary rejected, instead amping up her campaign and buying TV ads. But one poll has more Iowa caucusgoers, 41%, rejecting her than either Edwards or Obama. "Are [Iowa] women comfortable voting for another woman?" asked one female voter. "I think a lot of them are just not there yet." Read These Next RFK Jr. suggests antidepressants to blame after shooting. Isolated tribe members show up in an unexpected place. A government watchdog is warning the FAA about meteorologists. Those chips and cookies could wreak havoc on your fertility. Report an error