Heart of America 'so much bigger' than Trump's heart -Klobuchar

As the Democratic nominating contest kicked off in Iowa, contender Amy Klobuchar told voters "the heart of America is so much bigger than the heart of the guy in the White House."

Speaking inside a school gymnasium in Johnson, Iowa, Klobuchar told the crowd "what unites us is bigger than what divides us" and urged voters to help in the fight to defeat President Donald Trump.

Iowa Democrats began meeting at caucus sites around the state on Monday, kicking off what could be a bruising months-long national nominating fight to choose a November election challenger to Republican U.S. President Donald Trump.

Voters poured into more than 1,600 schools, community centers and other public locations to render judgment on a field of 11 Democratic contenders led by front-runners Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden, who have battled for the top in recent Iowa opinion polls.

The race has been overshadowed in recent weeks, with Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar relegated to part-time campaigning in Iowa as they were forced to remain in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial of Trump.

They heard closing arguments on Monday, just hours before the caucuses.