DES MOINES, Iowa — Democrats face a bigger question in their Monday caucuses here than which candidate to support: How much change does America want?

The field is cleaved between those who seek sweeping reform to the nation, led by Sens. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Schumer, Sanders call for Senate panel to address election security MORE (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenNo new taxes for the ultra rich — fix bad tax policy instead Democrats back away from quick reversal of Trump tax cuts It's time for newspapers to stop endorsing presidential candidates MORE (D-Mass.), and those who favor a much more incremental approach, including former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden National postal mail handlers union endorses Biden MORE, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBogeymen of the far left deserve a place in any Biden administration Overnight Defense: Woodward book causes new firestorm | Book says Trump lashed out at generals, told Woodward about secret weapons system | US withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq A socially and environmentally just way to fight climate change MORE and Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharEPA delivers win for ethanol industry angered by waivers to refiners It's time for newspapers to stop endorsing presidential candidates Biden marks anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, knocks Trump and McConnell MORE (D-Minn.).

The divide is getting starker by the day in the final sprint to the caucuses, where several candidates have a realistic chance of prevailing.

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The contrast could be seen clearly in two events on Friday, as Biden campaigned in the rural eastern Iowa town of Fort Madison and three congresswomen — Reps. Ayanna Pressley Ayanna PressleySan Francisco considers changing local voting age to 16 Hillicon Valley: Election officials prepare for new Russian interference battle | 'Markeyverse' of online fans helps take down a Kennedy | GOP senators unveil bill to update tech liability protections 'Markeyverse' of online fans helps take down a Kennedy MORE (D-Mass.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Deb Haaland Debra HaalandRep. Robin Kelly enters race for Democratic caucus vice chair OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Democrats push resolution to battle climate change, sluggish economy and racial injustice | Senators reach compromise on greenhouse gas amendment stalling energy bill | Trump courts Florida voters with offshore drilling moratorium Democrats push resolution to battle climate change, sluggish economy and racial injustice MORE (D-N.M.) — rallied Warren supporters in Des Moines.

Biden and his backers sought to soothe rather than incite.

“We are going to heal this nation,” Biden promised.

His central argument is that electing him would mark a return to business as usual after President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE.

For Team Warren, as with Sanders’s supporters, business as usual is the problem — and a more fundamental shift is required.

“We have a president who is a tyrant,” said Haaland, setting the fiery tone for much of what followed.

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Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack Thomas James VilsackUSDA: Farm-to-school programs help schools serve healthier meals OVERNIGHT MONEY: House poised to pass debt-ceiling bill MORE (D), campaigning with Biden, told The Hill after the Fort Madison event that people who view the former vice president as too mild in his outlook and rhetoric are missing the point.

“People say, ‘Well, he needs more energy.’ No, actually he needs to provide a contrast to President Trump,” said Vilsack. “President Trump has plenty of energy, but people are saying, ‘Too much. Too much.’ We want someone who is a statesman, who is calming.”

Hours later, in Des Moines, Pressley took the mic to wild cheers and praised “change-makers and disruptors ... activists and agitators.”

The difference was apparent, too, in the tenor and makeup of each crowd.

In Biden’s case, the audience was largely old, the numbers modest — a generous estimate would be around 150 people — and the atmosphere sedate.

For Warren, the crowd was noticeably younger, bigger — and louder.

Passion and intensity are crucial in caucuses — as then-Sen. Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaGOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high D-Day for Trump: September 29 Obama says making a voting plan is part of 'how to quarantine successfully' MORE (D-Ill.) proved 12 years ago when he won convincingly over more centrist figures including Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Virginia Democrat blasts Trump's 'appalling' remark about COVID-19 deaths in 'blue states' The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally MORE and Biden himself.

But older people are among the most reliable caucusgoers, and previous candidates who relied heavily on young support — such as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) in 2004 — have come up short in the end.

There is also measurable polling evidence to suggest that Democrats prize the ousting of Trump above all else in selecting a nominee.

For example, a Gallup Poll late last year indicated that 60 percent of Democratic voters would prefer a nominee with the best chance of defeating the president, while 38 percent would prefer a nominee who agrees with them on most of the issues they care about.

Vilsack said Friday that Biden is “the most electable because he speaks to the broadest spectrum of voters.”

But progressive activists have long argued that the choice between idealism and electability is a false one, insisting that Democrats win when they offer inspiration rather than compromise.

On Friday in Des Moines, Haaland made a version of the same point. She did not name Biden when she criticized those who favor “small ideas and short-sighted solutions” — but she hardly needed to do so.

Warren supporters such as Rebecca Cohen, a graphic designer who came to Iowa from Portland to canvass for the senator, take a similarly ambitious view.

Warren, in Cohen’s view, “has made it her life’s work to fight the corruption and imbalance that keeps working families down and disadvantages us to the benefit of the richest people. ... It’s about more than defeating Trump — though that’s the first step.”

Biden, preemptively defending himself from such criticism, said in Fort Madison that his opponents were wrong to call him naive, insisting that he had been able to work constructively with Republicans as recently as the end of the Obama administration.

“The old days — three years ago!” the former vice president told the crowd wryly.

The return to normalcy promised by Biden is clearly just what some Democrats are seeking.

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Jeraine Hofer, an 81-year-old from Fort Madison, said of the former vice president, “I hope he gets it. ... He’s cool and calm. He doesn’t holler out too much.”

But whether Iowas in general want more to feel the balm or — in Sanders’s famous slogan — to feel the Bern remains to be seen.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage, primarily forced on Donald Trump’s presidency.