WATERLOO, Iowa — Facing new pressure from Sen. Bernie Sanders in Iowa, Hillary Clinton confronted him in direct terms Monday, warning Iowans that, if elected president, he would put their health insurance in the hands of Republican governors and raise taxes on the middle class.
Sharpening her tone as new polling suggested that Sanders was closing in on her in the state, Clinton mentioned Sanders by name, telling 300 people on a frigid and snowy day here, "I think it's time for us to have the kind of spirited debate that you deserve for us to have."
"We're so much better than the Republicans," she said, "but we do have differences and you deserve to know what those differences are."
Clinton also looked to repel criticism from Sanders that she is a patron of the rich, unveiling a "fair share surcharge" that would impose a new tax on people who earn more than $5 million a year. Her campaign estimated that the 4 percent tax would raise $150 billion over 10 years.
On health care, Clinton said she wanted to build upon the Affordable Care Act, while Sanders wanted to scrap it in favor of a universal health plan that would empower the states — and potentially Republican governors who she says cannot be trusted. This, along with the Vermont senator's other progressive policies, would require raising taxes on more than just the rich, she argued.
"There's no way, if you do the arithmetic, to pay for what he has proposed without raising taxes on the middle class," she said. "That's where he and I part ways."
Her remarks came a day after a new poll showed Clinton's lead in the state narrowing to 3 percentage points. Clinton's campaign is counting on a victory here in the Feb. 1 caucuses because in the next contest, in New Hampshire eight days later, Sanders has held a durable lead in polls.
"I feel really good about where we are, but I'm not taking anything for granted," Clinton said.
Her comments Monday echoed the language she used in December 2007 when she told reporters in Cedar Rapids that "now the fun part starts" — a promise to make clear to Iowans the deficiencies of Barack Obama's policies. She placed third in the Iowa caucuses, which Obama won.
"We're into the last month, and we're going to start drawing the contrasts, because I want every Iowan to have accurate information when they make their decisions," she said at the time.
Sanders also campaigned in Iowa on Monday, similarly pressing an economic argument in trying to coax voters out to support him on caucus day. Speaking to reporters in Pleasantville, he said Clinton was attacking him because of polls that showed he was gaining support — and that she was realizing she could lose.
"Secretary Clinton and her campaign now know that she is in serious trouble," Sanders said. "And, I think a candidate who was originally thought to be the anointed candidate, to be the inevitable candidate, is now locked in a very difficult race here in Iowa and in New Hampshire. Obviously, in that scenario, what people do is start attacking."
Sanders highlighted how he has called for increasing Social Security benefits, and would pay for it by raising the cap on income that is eligible for taxation to finance the program. That way, the wealthy would pay more into the system.
"In 2008, as I recall, President Obama introduced very similar-type legislation," Sanders said of his Social Security bill. "That legislation was then opposed by Senator Clinton, who was running against him. I would hope that now in the year 2016, when so many of our seniors and disabled vets are struggling, that Secretary Clinton will join me in demanding that we raise the cap on taxable income, that we expand benefits for our seniors and our disabled vets, and that we extend the life of Social Security for 50 years."
As the candidates squabbled in Iowa, Vice President Joe Biden made it clear he is paying close attention to the race. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Biden praised Sanders' approach to income inequality, saying that he "is speaking to a yearning that is deep and real. And he has credibility on it."
The issue, he added, was "relatively new for Hillary," but added that she had "come forward with some really thoughtful approaches."
Clinton's pointed remarks — and the sparring between the candidates — suggested that the Democratic presidential debate Sunday could take a sharper tone than the previous ones, which were largely cordial affairs.
She also used her visit to Waterloo to press a recurring theme of recent days, calling Sanders weak on gun control. She pointed to his vote in 2005, as a member of the House, for a bill limiting the liability of gun makers and sellers. She also embraced Obama's recent executive actions on guns.
The crowd at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo cheered Clinton's arrival and gathered around her to take selfies after she spoke. However, many in the audience said that they remained undecided and that they were hoping that seeing her in person might help them choose.
"I have no dislike for her or anything like that," said Floyd Bumper, 32, of Waterloo. "But she's my second choice."