For weeks, California Sen. Kamala Harris knew where she would be on Thursday: Western Iowa, to hear on-the-ground stories from residents about, among other things, the impact of severe flooding.

The day before her scheduled two-day swing through the first-in-the-nation-caucus state, the Democratic presidential candidate decided to cancel the trip in order to stay in Washington, D.C., Thursday to vote on a multi-billion dollar disaster relief bill.

At a time when face-to-face interaction with Iowans could be key to standing out in a crowded 2020 field, Harris must balance that with a busy full-time job — she is one of several senators running for president — that can scramble plans for the kind of retail politicking that some view as crucial to winning the nomination.

While she wanted to be in Iowa, Harris chose to vote instead on legislation aimed at helping them.

"There is an irony to it," she told the Des Moines Register in a phone interview from Capitol Hill.

Harris said she had been looking forward to talking to Iowans about Midwest flooding and its link to wildfires in California and hurricanes in places like Puerto Rico. During her previous trip to Iowa, Harris said climate change was a top concern to caucus-goers.

"But I know that folks want to make sure that all the United States senators are weighing in on this issue of disaster relief," she said. "And I think the people of Iowa want to know that I've got them in mind and that I'm here fighting for them and for their relief from these natural disasters."

Closing the gender pay gap

Harris had also planned to take time during her Iowa visit to talk about her new policy proposal aimed at closing the gender pay gap.

"It's highlighting an issue that for too long has gone without any real significant attention or priority or solution," she said.

Under the plan, companies with 100 or more employees would have to prove they're not paying women less than men for comparable work. A company would be required to report statistics on female leadership and the percentage top female earners.

Harris' campaign estimates the policy would increase a woman’s median annual pay in Iowa by up to $4,190 per year.

Companies that fail to receive the certification (which would include having a certified designation on its main website) would be fined 1% of its profits for every 1% wage gap. The money would be invested in paid family and medical leave.

The policy would generate roughly $180 billion over 10 years, the campaign estimated, though they expect that to drop as equal pay practices become the norm.

Women working full-time in America are paid, on average, 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, according to the Washington, D.C.-based National Partnership for Women & Families.

In Iowa, according to the group, women are paid 79 cents, on average, for every dollar paid to men. It’s 61 cents for black women, 57 cents for Latina women and 67 cents for Asian women.

That adds up to more than $8.5 billion every year for women in Iowa, according to the group.

The proposal would require congressional approval, but Harris said she would take executive action to enact the standards for federal contractors if there's gridlock on advancing the legislation.

How Harris views the 2020 field

More than 20 Democrats announced their candidacy for president this election cycle. Harris, who would be the first black female president if elected, welcomes it.

"I think it's healthy for a democracy to have a robust debate and to have real competition," she said. "I think it is a really important statement about democracy, that anyone who wants to run, they put their hat in the ring, and then they're going to have to compete."

Harris is trying to stand out in part by focusing on policy. Since announcing her bid in January, she has highlighted a plan that she said would provide a tax credit of up to $6,000 a year to middle-class households. She has also released a proposal aimed at increasing pay for teachers.

Recalling how her mother would sit at the kitchen table at the end of the day to sort bills, Harris said she's focused on helping Americans who have similar worries.

"That's really mostly the way that I think about our priorities … which is to ask the question of myself always: Is what we're proposing relevant to the lives of real people, right? Because the job, in my opinion, is so much more than giving a lovely speech. It's about finding real solutions to the real issues that impact real people."