DES MOINES, Iowa — Democrats in the Midwest know that the way to win back voters in states like Iowa is to talk about the economy, but they’re debating how exactly to do it.

As a state that can make or break presidential campaigns, and one that had regularly sent liberal Democrats to Washington, Iowa now serves as a test of whether Democrats can win back white voters who have swung toward the Republican Party over the last decade.

But Democrats in the state are divided over how populist their message should be and whether voters here will buy it.

Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District is in some ways one that should be prime pickings for the party.

The district voted for President Barack Obama twice. Active voter registration is roughly evenly divided in the district: 34 percent of active registered voters are Republican, 32 percent are Democrat and 33 percent are not affiliated with either party.