Democrats standing by Clinton, but with some reservations.

Byline: Julie Pace and Ken Thomas

WASHINGTON -- Democrats closed ranks around Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday after her public explanation of her email practices -- yet party officials in important election states appeared resigned to the prospect that her all-but-certain presidential campaign will be saddled with drama and controversy.

The mood among Democrats around the country suggested Clinton has work to do to bolster party enthusiasm as she nears the launch of her 2016 campaign, though there's still no sign she'll face a robust primary challenge.

Brady Quirk-Garvan, the Democratic Party chairman in Charleston, South Carolina, said the intense focus on Clinton's use of her private email account as secretary of state leaves him concerned that side issues could overshadow the party's message.

''Every time we talk about emails, we aren't talking about how to grow the economy and the fact that President Obama has created jobs for the last 60 months straight,'' Quirk-Garvan said.

In Iowa, Cerro Gordo County Democratic chairman John Stone said he expected the email issue to ''burn out.'' But he also raised the possibility that ''there will be more things'' to come.

Clinton's closest advisers have been quietly reaching out to Democratic leaders and other lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as well as influential progressive groups, in an effort to allay concerns. In conference calls over the past week, supporters in turn pressed Clinton to break her silence on the email disclosures, which she eventually did Tuesday in a 20-minute news at the United Nations.

''Those of us who strongly support her, we certainly have been given information,'' said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. ''I'm satisfied with what I've received.''

Much of the outreach has been led by longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin and press secretary Nick Merrill. Clinton herself does not appear to have spoken directly to top Democratic lawmakers or surrogates since her use of personal email and a private server as secretary of state was reported last week.

Two Democratic leadership aides and others familiar with the Clinton team's outreach described the efforts, insisting on anonymity to describe the private communications.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he wasn't aware of any conversations between President Barack Obama and Clinton about the former secretary of state's email use.

Even as Clinton's advisers do status checks with wary Democrats, her team has been moving forward with...