Speaking to supporters in Iowa City, Clinton sought to portray herself as a fighter for working-class families.

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"When people diss the government — we're really dissing ourselves and dissing our democracy," Clinton said. "This is my last rodeo, and I believe that we can leave not just the country in good shape for the future, but we can get a deep bench of young people to decide that they want to go into politics."

She said it's "perfectly fine" to be skeptical of the government, and that it's "part of our DNA."

"I want people's lives to be better when I finish as your president than when I started," Clinton said.

She said she would aim to move comprehensive immigration reform during her administration. The Obama administration has failed to move such reform packages.

"I want people to know that if they're voting for me, they're voting for comprehensive immigration reform," Clinton said.

Clinton said she hoped her candidacy in 2016 would help Democrats take back control of the Senate.

"We will hopefully take back the Senate and will hopefully narrow the margin in the House," Clinton said.

Michael Short, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said that Clinton "continues to make clear ... she is a candidate of the past selling yesterday's ideas."



"The American people want new leadership and fresh solutions, not a continuation of the same big government approach that continues to fail America’s declining middle class," Short said in a statement.

— This story was updated at 4:49 p.m.