SIOUX CITY, Ia. — New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had one critical question for Sioux City native J.D. Scholten when she arrived for her first Iowa visit Friday: "Where did you get your RV?"

"I hope to speak directly to Iowans in living rooms, in coffee shops, on Main Street all across the state. I plan on getting an RV and having a blast this summer," Gillibrand told the Des Moines Register in an interview. "When I heard he did it, I was like, 'Where’d you get your RV? I need you to take me there.'"

Scholten, who ran as a Democrat in the 4th District against Rep. Steve King in 2018, famously toured the district in a Winnebago he nicknamed Sioux City Sue. He was on hand Friday to lead Gillibrand through local shops.

"We are planning on spending a lot of time in Iowa and we are going to have an RV — whether my campaign likes it or not," Gillibrand said.

Gillibrand started the afternoon at Pierce Street Coffee Works where she mingled with Iowans, surrounded by a horde of reporters. She joined a table of about a dozen people, sitting to talk for about 20 minutes.

One woman clutched a copy of Gillibrand's book, which the senator signed with the inscription, "Be heard!"

"All my secrets are in here," Gillibrand told the woman. "Not all my recipes. But all my secrets."

She took questions, talking with the group about how she thinks Democrats can defeat Republican President Donald Trump, how to reach out to people who may have voted for him, and dealing with immigration at the nation's southern border.

"We're waiting to see what develops, but she seems very personable, very passionate and very sincere about her desire to make the country better for everyone," said Linda Waugh, a 68-year-old Moville resident who sat with Gillibrand. "I really want someone who will communicate to the common man, the average person, that we are fighting for you and your children instead of the corporations."

Gillibrand told the Register that many of the Iowans she spoke with Friday had many of the same concerns as her voters in New York, like access to affordable health care and well-funded public schools.

"I was interested to hear and see where the overlaps were and where they weren’t," Gillibrand said. "I like Iowans. They are open and are willing to tell you what’s on their mind, which makes my job easier because if I start by listening I can know what to work on."

Gillibrand launched her formal 2020 efforts earlier this week with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Friday was her first trip to Iowa.

After touring Pierce street Friday afternoon, she attended a house party with local activists Friday evening. There, Gillibrand mingled and took photos with attendees before speaking and taking questions.

Iowans pressed her about her decision to call for Minnesota Sen. Al Franken's resignation after multiple women alleged that he touched them inappropriately. He resigned shortly thereafter but Gillibrand also netted critiques for leading the charge for him to do so.

Gillibrand said she had been having conversations with her son, who was 15 years old at the time, about Franken's behavior.

"I had to be very clear with him as a mother: 'It’s not OK to grope a woman anywhere on her body without her consent,'" she recalled telling him. "'It is not OK to forcibly kiss a woman without her consent. It’s not OK for Al Franken and it’s not OK for you.' And I could not be ambiguous about that."

Iowans there also asked about her position on gun regulation, noting that she previously had an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association — hardly a badge of honor for most Democrats.

"I only really looked at guns through the lens of hunting," Gillibrand said. "My mother still shoots the Thanksgiving turkey. But when I became senator, I recognized that I had a lot to learn about my state and all the 20 million people I was going to represent."

In the interview with the Register, Gillibrand said her past positions on guns and immigration (she's taken heat for being "anti-immigrant" in the past), were "wrong."

"I should have been more concerned and I certainly am now and have been for 10 years," she said. "So I hope voters can see my heart, see why I care and why I thought it was really important to admit that I was wrong and move on and do the right thing. I think if someone never changes their positions and never learns from their mistakes and never learns something new, I don’t think they can possibly serve the public well."

Many Iowans who attended Gillibrand's events said they do not consider Gillibrand's past positions disqualifying.

"I think Iowans are relatively sophisticated and understand both that people evolve, that people represent their districts and that people have reasons for supporting causes, issues, legislation that they do," said Linda Santi, a 60-year-old Sioux City resident. "So as times change and people change, I think we all realize that can happen."

Gillibrand on Saturday will hold meet-and-greets in Boone and Ames before traveling to Des Moines to speak at the Women's March and attend an event with Polk County Democrats.

More: See times and locations of Gillibrand's Saturday stops

She joins a growing field of Democratic candidates or potential candidates, which includes several women and as many as 10 of her Senate colleagues.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigned across the state earlier this month, and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bernie Sanders of Vermont all are considering their own bids for the White House. All have made or planned visits to Iowa in recent months.

A recent Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed that Gillibrand is still relatively unknown in the state. According to the poll, 35 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers had a favorable opinion of her; 10 percent had an unfavorable opinion; and 55 percent were "not sure" if they had favorable or unfavorable opinions.

Gillibrand first ran for office in 2006 a long-shot bid against a four-term Republican congressman in a conservative New York district. She won that race and was later appointed to the Senate in 2009 to fill Hillary Clinton's seat when she was appointed secretary of state. Gillibrand won a special election in 2010 and in 2012 earned her first full term.

She was re-elected in 2018 and promised on the campaign trail last year that she would serve out her full six-year term, if elected.

However, shortly after winning, she told talk-show host Stephen Colbert that she would give running for president a "long, hard thought."

She launched her exploratory campaign a little more than two months later.