Story highlights The former secretary of state is locked in a tight race with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders

She said that her failed 2008 campaign taught her a great deal about campaigning

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) Hillary Clinton knows she wasn't the best candidate in 2008 and told CNN on Saturday that after months of campaigning in Iowa, she feels like she has grown since her third-place finish here eight years ago.

"I think I am a different, and perhaps a better, candidate, so I hope that also shows," Clinton said in an interview after she toured Iowa's African American Festival at Hy-Vee Hall.

The former secretary of state, who is locked in a tight race with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, said that her failed 2008 campaign taught her a great deal about campaigning and what it takes to win an election.

"I think I learned a lot (from that race)," she said. "But also I have some additional experience that is incredibly relevant to being president and commander in chief. Those four years as secretary of state gave me a front-row seat on the opportunities and the perils that we face in the world. So I feel very much confident and ready to do the job."

Clinton started her 2016 race with a sizable lead over Sanders in both national and early state polls. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who is an independent in the Senate, show him neck-and-neck with Clinton in Iowa.

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