Clinton opens up about surprising concerns voters have days ahead of Iowa caucuses

From her husband's first presidential race in 1992 to her last run for the White House in 2008, Hillary Clinton is arguably the most seasoned candidate crisscrossing Iowa ahead of Monday's caucus, but that doesn't mean she can't be surprised on the trail.

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Clinton was taken aback by "the amount of concern that people have about addiction and mental health" she explained in an interview with AOL.com in Cedar Falls, Iowa late Tuesday. "I really wasn't expecting that, and I didn't know that it would be top of mind for so many people."

The Democratic front-runner, who leads nationally by large margins but faces a closer race in Iowa and New Hampshire, introduced a $10 billion plan to combat America's "deadly epidemic" in September, which includes state and federal partnerships and treatment-focused solutions for addicts.

See images of Clinton in Iowa with days to go before the caucuses:

Clinton also spoke to AOL.com about how surprised she has been to meet many people who are still frustrated at the economy and stagnant incomes. Both she and her primary rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders, have fiercely debated over how they would address the issue in recent weeks. Clinton has recently proposed a tax on extremely wealthy Americans, those making above $5 million.

But the gender pay gap weighed heavily on the mind of a voter she recalled meeting just minutes earlier after a campaign event at the University of Northern Iowa.

"'I worked at the same place for 17 years," Clinton remembered the woman explaining to her. "'I know I'm not being paid the same as the men who work there, and I can't say anything about it because if I ask about somebody else's salary I can get fired.'"

The full interview with Clinton, in which she dishes on her biggest political regret and her thoughts on working together with one of the Republican candidates, will be available on AOL.com later today.

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