OTTUMWA — Vicki Siegel and Bonnie Eggers use a simple rule for discussing politics at work.

Both have watched her candidate get hammered at various times during this primary. Eggers watched Hillary Clinton go from the all-but-inevitable nominee to being unlikely to win. Siegel watched Barack Obama miss chances for knockout blows, then get drubbed in West Virginia.

It’s painful for people who invest so much into their political lives to see their candidates lose. So Siegel and Eggers had to find a way to allow for political conversations without rubbing a loss in the other person’s face. And they found it.

“The losing party has to bring it up first,” Siegel said.

“She still hasn’t brought up West Virginia,” Eggers grinned.

It’s a minor provocation, the verbal equivalent of a nudge with an elbow. And it illustrates the give-and-take that happens when the two start talking about politics.

Both women are among the most outspoken Democrats in Wapello County. Eggers has a long history of work on behalf of candidates and unions. Siegel previously served as county attorney and is the wife of current Supervisor Steve Siegel.

Now Eggers works in the law office Siegel shares with Sarah Wenke. (Wenke supported John Edwards, but that’s another issue.) It hasn’t always been easy for two people whose interest in politics runs deep, but they’ve found ways to talk about the campaigns without burning bridges.

Siegel sees Obama’s rise beginning with Iowa. His win on Jan. 3 was in a primarily white state and sent a message that voters could look beyond race.

But that raises questions about the West Virginia results. Many believe race played a role when Obama lost by 41 points.

“It scares me,” said Eggers. She’ll vote for the Democratic nominee regardless of who it is, but she worries racism could hurt Obama in November.

“I’m not scared, because I think they take note of a [primarily] white state that goes for Obama,” Siegel said.

“I’m not following here,” Eggers replied.

Siegel explained that she believes national voters watch results and have seen that many people can look beyond race in casting their ballots. Racism will play a role for some, but she says the majority will outweigh that response.

Iowa was important in another way. It was the first state that showed Democratic contests outdrawing Republicans by huge margins.