There are two large questions as the Democratic campaign in Iowa enters its final days. One is whether Sen. Bernie Sanders can generate a significant turnout among first-time caucus attendees. The second is whether the organization that Hillary Clinton has been building there since last spring is sturdy enough to withstand the Sanders insurgency.

The last thing Clinton can afford now is for Sanders to get a head of steam from Iowa and New Hampshire. A pair of victories by the Vermont senator could produce a protracted and, for Clinton, debilitating nomination battle. Even if Clinton were to survive and capture the nomination, she would start the general election as a weakened candidate and with her resources significantly depleted.

Read the article “Clinton Needs an Iowa Victory to Blunt the Momentum of Bernie Sanders” on washingtonpost.com.