Muscatine, Iowa (CNN) Tom and Linda Iannelli waited patiently at a table inside a small, taupe-colored conference room at the Merrill Hotel, ready to be personally convinced by Kamala Harris that they should be in her corner on caucus night.

Tom Iannelli pulled out an 11-by-7-inch sheet of paper covered in questions crowdsourced from his online international tech community for the 2020 presidential candidate . Harris, after all, was on the couple's short list.

"Tom's got questions from 100 people in his group," Linda Iannelli joked as Harris glanced down.

"Oh, good lord!" the senator quipped, followed by her signature booming laugh. Linda Iannelli interjected then, asking the California Democrat what she would do as president to make it easier for felons to find jobs.

"I know the work," Harris said confidently. "I've actually done it."

This was the beginning of just one of five face-to-face conversations on gun violence, foreign policy and the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings that the senator had over the course of an hour this past weekend. She spoke with 13 Iowans, eight of them undecided but interested in Harris and open to being convinced to give her their support.

Harris has hosted eight of these gatherings, known as "potential supporter clutches" since October. Featuring about 10 likely caucusgoers identified by campaign organizers, the small events are designed to make the senator make the hard ask of voters.

"Will you commit to caucus in Kamala's corner?" a campaign aide says she might ask directly.

Faced with any ounce of resistance, the aide says Harris follows up with a question that has come to define this stage of her campaign: "What's holding you back?"

In the latest CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll released this month, Harris' support registered at 3%, down from 6% in a September CNN poll and 11% percent in an August Monmouth University poll. It came almost two months after Harris announced a shift to an "all in" on Iowa strategy, and less than a month after the campaign went through a massive restructuring that included layoffs and office closures in all early primary states except South Carolina and Iowa to cut costs.

Harris' once promising presidential bid has deteriorated from low polling numbers and the need for cash. While she shot up in the polls after squaring off with former Vice President Joe Biden during the first Democratic debate over the summer, she has since become the only candidate to gain and then lose their top tier status.

Her persuasion meetings are part of the work Harris and her campaign are doing to change the trajectory of her campaign in Iowa, a state where caucusgoers will gladly joke that they have to meet a candidate two to three times before they can decide. Her campaign has said that a top-three finish in Iowa is necessary for Harris to remain competitive in other early primary states like Nevada and South Carolina.

The power of these meetings can't be understated, said Miryam Lipper, Harris' Iowa communications director.

Harris' field organizers tell Lipper after the meetings, " 'This makes a huge difference; this helps us lock people in who are on the fence.' "

"Kamala Harris is good at this stuff, when she looks people in the eye and makes them feel heard," Lipper added.

But with fewer than 70 days until the Iowa caucuses, the question remains whether these efforts -- when she's only meeting with a handful of people at a time -- will be enough.

One-on-one

In the meetings over the weekend, Harris' tone ranged from serious and passionate about her signature policy proposals and diagnoses of what went wrong with the country to silly and lighthearted.

Douglas Dawson, upon meeting Harris, declared, "I'm a sleep doctor and you need more of it."

He boasted that he had supported then-Sen. Barack Obama in his 2008 bid over then-Sen. Hillary Clinton: "I was against Hillary and supporting Barack."

Harris whispered, "I was, too," with a mischievous smile, clutching Dawson's arm. Dawson later signed a commit-to-caucus card and agreed to be a precinct leader.

To a pair of teenage sisters, Harris took a motherly or "auntie" tone when she discouraged them from sending intimate photos of themselves to potential partners while discussing her efforts against cyber exploitation.

"We can have a whole conversation about that dating relationship, you know, 99.9% will not end up in marriage," Harris said with a loud laugh. "So just know that before you press send."

And at times, Harris became candid about the state of her race. When a supporter said he would also chip in financially, she thanked him profusely.

"Gotta raise that money just to get on TV. It's a whole situation," she said.

The California Democrat became animated when describing to the Iannellis the criminal justice work she did in California to help re-enter the formerly incarcerated back to society, she then pitched her latest criminal justice reform proposal that in part would provide grants at the local level to fund similar programs.

"So you have justice issues as well, I recognize it," Linda Iannelli, a 72-year-old former social worker, said softly.

Once the conversation came to a close and the couple posed for their photo, Harris moved to the next table and was instantly replaced with a field organizer who made the hard ask: "Will you sign a commit to caucus card?"

But only Tom Iannelli, 53, agreed.

When the young organizer asked Linda Iannelli what's holding her back, she simply said, "I'm still processing, and I take my time."

"It took us two months to pick out a camera for our wedding gift" some 28 years ago, she told CNN in an interview after the meeting. "It's like, the decision doesn't happen like this," snapping her fingers. "It's a consideration over time."

Iannelli said Harris was "extremely personable."

"I have an immediate connection with her because I did work in preschool and have done social work all my life, so I have justice issues just like she does." But nothing Harris could say in that moment could have made her commit.

"I'm not a jumper. I'm the oldest of 10 kids," Iannelli said. "I'm probably looking to see a little bit more about the field before I make a commitment."

Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris US Sen. Kamala Harris speaks during an economic forum in Las Vegas in April 2019. Hide Caption 1 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris A young Harris is seen with her mother, Shyamala, in this photo that was posted on Harris' Facebook page in March 2017. "My mother was born in India and came to the United States to study at UC Berkeley, where she eventually became an endocrinologist and breast-cancer researcher," Harris wrote. "She, and so many other strong women in my life, showed me the importance of community involvement and public service." Hide Caption 2 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris and her younger sister, Maya, pose for a Christmas photo in 1968. Hide Caption 3 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris rides a carousel in this old photo she posted to social media in 2015. Her name, Kamala, comes from the Sanskrit word for the lotus flower. Harris is the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants and grew up attending both a Baptist church and a Hindu temple. Hide Caption 4 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris tweeted this photo of her as a child after referencing it during a Democratic debate in June 2019. During the debate, she confronted Joe Biden over his opposition many years ago to the federal government mandating busing to integrate schools. "There was a little girl in California who was bussed to school," she tweeted. "That little girl was me." Hide Caption 5 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris got her bachelor's degree from Howard University in Washington, DC. Hide Caption 6 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris graduates from law school in 1989. "My first grade teacher, Mrs. Wilson (left), came to cheer me on," Harris said. "My mom was pretty proud, too." Hide Caption 7 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris is joined by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, left, and the Rev. Cecil Williams, center, for a San Francisco march celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. in January 2004. Harris was the city's district attorney from 2004 to 2011. Hide Caption 8 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris speaks to supporters before a "No on K" news conference in October 2008. The San Francisco ballot measure Proposition K sought to stop enforcing laws against prostitution. It was voted down on election day. Hide Caption 9 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris looks over seized guns following a news conference in Sacramento, California, in June 2011. Harris became California's attorney general in January 2011 and held that office until 2017. She was the first African-American, the first woman and the first Asian-American to become California's attorney general. Hide Caption 10 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris attends the Democratic Party's state convention in February 2012. Hide Caption 11 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris watches California Gov. Jerry Brown sign copies of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights in July 2012. Hide Caption 12 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris speaks on the second night of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Hide Caption 13 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris In May 2013, Harris and California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow place a wreath honoring Highway Patrol officers who were killed in the line of duty. Hide Caption 14 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris officiates the wedding of Kris Perry, left, and Sandy Stier in June 2013. Perry and Stier were married after a federal appeals court cleared the way for California to immediately resume issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Hide Caption 15 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris is flanked by her husband, Douglas Emhoff, and her sister, Maya. Next to Maya Harris is Maya's daughter, Meena, and Maya's husband, Tony West. Hide Caption 16 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris receives a gift from supporters in January 2015, after she announced plans to run for the US Senate. Hide Caption 17 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris speaks during a news conference in February 2015. Hide Caption 18 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris, as a new member of the Senate, participates in a re-enacted swearing-in with Vice President Joe Biden in January 2017. She is the first Indian-American and the second African-American woman to serve as a US senator. Hide Caption 19 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris talks with former US Sen. Bob Dole on Capitol Hill in January 2017. Hide Caption 20 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris attends the Women's March on Washington in January 2017. Hide Caption 21 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris speaks to Fatima and Yuleni Avelica, whose father was deported, before a news conference on Capitol Hill in March 2017. Hide Caption 22 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris greets a crowd at an event in Richmond, Virginia, in October 2017. Hide Caption 23 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris In November 2017, Harris was among the lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee grilling Silicon Valley giants over the role that their platforms inadvertently played in Russia's meddling in US politics. Hide Caption 24 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris and her husband attend a Golden State Warriors basketball game in May 2018. Hide Caption 25 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris attends a rally with, from left, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom, and Newsom's wife, Jennifer, in May 2018. Newsom won the election in November. Hide Caption 26 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris speaks with US Sen. Cory Booker during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in September 2018. Hide Caption 27 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris presses Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. Hide Caption 28 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris arrives with staff for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in September 2018. Hide Caption 29 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris reads from her children's book "Superheroes Are Everywhere" during a book signing in Los Angeles in January 2019. She also released a memoir, "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey." Hide Caption 30 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris A person holds a Harris poster during the Women's March in Los Angeles in January 2019. Hide Caption 31 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris holds her first presidential campaign rally in January 2019. She had announced her presidential bid a week earlier on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Hide Caption 32 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris speaks during her CNN town-hall event, which was moderated by Jake Tapper in Iowa in January 2019. Hide Caption 33 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Media members photograph Harris and the Rev. Al Sharpton as they have lunch at Sylvia's Restaurant in New York in February 2019. Hide Caption 34 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris confronts former Vice President Joe Biden, left, during the first Democratic debates in June 2019. Harris went after Biden over his early-career opposition to federally mandated busing. Hide Caption 35 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris rides her campaign bus in Iowa in August 2019. Hide Caption 36 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris and Biden greet each other at a Detroit high school as they attend a "Get Out the Vote" event in March 2020. Harris had dropped out of the presidential race a few months earlier. Hide Caption 37 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris From left, Harris, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and US Sen. Cory Booker stand near a Capitol Hill statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass during a June 2020 event commemorating the life of George Floyd. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis. Hide Caption 38 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Biden calls Harris from his Delaware home to inform her that she was his choice for vice president. Hide Caption 39 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Biden listens as Harris speaks during their first campaign event as a presidential ticket. Hide Caption 40 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris and Biden sign paperwork to officially get on the ballot in all 50 states. Hide Caption 41 of 42 Photos: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris Harris delivers a speech as she formally accepts the nomination at the Democratic National Convention. "Let's fight with conviction," Harris said in her speech. "Let's fight with hope. Let's fight with confidence in ourselves and a commitment to each other. To the America we know is possible. The America we love." Hide Caption 42 of 42

The outsized Democratic primary, now sitting at 18 candidates, has made it difficult for some voters to whittle down their decisions. Voters have signaled they want the field to shrink, and only 16% of voters from a Monmouth University Poll released earlier this month said they wanted additions to the field. Since that poll was taken, two other people -- former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick -- have announced their candidacies.

But the Iannellis actively want a woman in the White House and regularly donate to women candidates ("No more old men," Linda Iannelli said). Before signing the caucus card, Tom Iannelli was between Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

"I like the way Ms. Harris thinks," Iannelli said. In that moment, he also agreed to be a precinct captain at caucus night. Captains help the campaign identify possible supporters and volunteers before the caucuses. On the night of, they corral their candidate's supporters and convert other caucusgoers from nonviable candidates.

"It's not so much about the details of the plans," Iannelli said. "She's been able to make those broader sweeping connections."

Connie Capper, 53, signed a commit-to-caucus card moments before Harris walked into the room. Capper, who hosts a volunteer of the campaign at her home, decided Harris was the candidate for her during the senator's speech an hour earlier at the meet-and-greet held a block away from the hotel.

"When I was listening to her speak, I was pretty impressed with the fact that she did not promise anything," the Davenport, Iowa, teacher said. "Unlike others who are running and making a bunch of promises that they hope to fulfill, she's like, 'This will be an attempt,' but there's no real promise to it. Just, 'I have a good record in this area.'"

But inside the square room outfitted with alternating campaign placards taped to the wall, Capper's admiration grew. The two spoke about gun violence in schools, with Harris asking Capper what instructions and trainings she's been taught to keep children safe.

"I just thought, 'Hey, she's a lot like me, she's short like me,' so it reinforced that she's very open, personal and she knows herself. I guess that would be the end result, she knows herself," Capper said. The teacher was between Harris, Biden and businessman Andrew Yang before committing.

Of the eight undecided voters, four agreed to sign commit-to-caucus cards and become volunteer precinct captains. Two of the four who didn't, Kelcey Brackett and Karen Cooney, are elected local officials who will remain neutral until closer to or on caucus night.

As the chair of the Muscatine County Democratic Party and an at-large member of the Muscatine City Council, Brackett said he hadn't really seen "nearly as much" out of her campaign in comparison to some higher-polling candidates in the county that voted for Obama twice before switching to Donald Trump.

Still, Brackett applauded the technique, saying the first candidate to do something similar in the area was former congressman Beto O'Rourke when he first announced. (O'Rourke has since dropped out of the 2020 race.)

In the small clutches, "the individual gets to meet the candidate directly and they can turn around and utilize that meeting to push for additional support," Brackett told CNN in an interview.

Lipper, Harris' communications director, seconded that notion.

"You can get a lot by going to a big room. But you can get a lot more," she added, "the extra hour and a half you spend in a room, without cameras, but with the people who are going to support your campaign."