Hillary Clinton attracts a rarity on the campaign trail -- an overwhelmingly female press corps

A few dozen reporters who regularly cover Hillary Clinton gathered in August to watch the first GOP debate at her headquarters in Brooklyn. MSNBC's Alex Seitz-Wald stopped for a moment and looked around. A second later, he realized what seemed strange: He was the only man in the room. At least 18 national media outlets have female reporters on the Clinton beat, across print, online, radio and TV. Some, such as NBC, have as many as three. Local outlets in Iowa and New Hampshire have female reporters on Clinton, as well. No one can remember a political press corps this heavily female.

The change seems to be a combination of more women doing political reporting in general, and many more being drawn to Clinton's potentially historic candidacy. It's made for an unusual atmosphere, with a female candidate sparring with a nearly all-female corps of reporters. It hasn’t brought Clinton more positive coverage, according to those both inside the campaign and outside it. But reporters and press aides alike note that there’s a different vibe nonetheless, punctuated by occasional expressions by the candidate herself of camaraderie for fellow pioneers.