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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

Tim Kaine rallies in Tucson, continuing Hillary Clinton’s push for Arizona

A small but enthusiastic crowd gathered in Sunnyside High School’s gymnasium to hear Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine campaign for Hillary Clinton.

After Kaine made history in Phoenix conducting a rally entirely in Spanish, he hosted a Get Out the Vote Rally in Tucson which concluded a series of high-profile campaign stops in the state.

Arizona leads the nation in early voting surges by Latinos, said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild who addressed the crowd before Kaine.

“Democracy flourishes when people participate,” Rothschild said. Early voting in Arizona ends tomorrow and Rothschild encouraged everyone gathered to vote and encourage all those they know to vote.

The loudest cheers of the entire night were reserved for former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.  


“Speaking is difficult for me but come January, I want to say these two words: Madam President,” Giffords said as the crowd chanted her name. 

As Kaine took the stage, he stressed Arizona’s roll as a swing state in this election.

“Arizona is in play I knew I had to come back in this last week,” Kaine said.

FiveThirtyEight currently places Clinton’s chance of winning Arizona’s electoral votes at 28.9 percent. The state’s recently found battleground status, which brought major campaign rallies and television ads, has faded as national polls tighten.

Early voting statistics show increases in Democratic, youth and Latino turnout along with decreased Republican early voting which will help keep Arizona competitive for the Clinton campaign just four days out from the election.

Protesters interrupted Kaine’s speech on multiple occasions but were promptly escorted out by security.

“This election is less about where we going but who we are as a nation,” Kaine said. “Are we going to say it’s it OK to divide up against each other and insult each other? No, I embrace we are stronger together.”


Kaine focused on Clinton’s character throughout the night. 

“She would not give up, back down, go away, or sell her principles short,” Kaine said, referencing Clinton’s tenacity when she failed to pass health care reform as First Lady.

He said if she couldn’t help everyone, she could help someone and so she worked with Congress to give all low-income children healthcare. 

“Hillary will not back down, will not go away, that is the kind of president she will be,” Kaine said.

Kaine said Clinton is trying to make history, if it had been easy there would have already been a woman elected president.

“We did it in 2008,” Kaine said adding America can show millions of girls who never imagined they could be president that it is possible this year.

Kaine questioned Donald Trump’s character and told the crowd Trump can’t skip out on taxes and then go on to say he’s going to be great for them—he added that it “just doesn’t work that way.”

“We believe in equality, it is our basic value,” Kaine said. “To paint individuals with the broad brush of prejudice unfairly taints patriotic Americans.”

Kaine’s theme of equality is reflected in Clinton’s policy for her First Hundred Days. 

Clinton plans to invest in infrastructure such as solar energy, invest in the workforce through affordable education, create a living and equal wage and reduce regulations on job-creating small business, according to Kaine. 

Economists said this plan would add an estimated 10 million jobs while Trump’s would lose 3 million, according to Kaine.

While alternating between speaking in Spanish and English, Kaine rejected Trump’s plan for deportation and wall building, and touted Clinton’s plan for real comprehensive immigration reform within her first hundred days.

As chairman of the Democratic Party, Kaine said he found the one unifying spirit of the party was its underdog spirit. 

“I have run eight races and I have won eight races and I am going for nine and zero,” Kaine said to loud applause.

Kaine did concede, he always only barely wins his races. He asked everyone in attendance to help volunteer for the campaign to give Clinton a strong mandate to pursue her policies while in office.

“Raise your hand if you have voted already,” Kaine said to the cheering crowd. “Have that underdog spirit—we will make history with your vote—lets make that stronger together America that works for everyone one. Lets go win.”


Follow Randall Eck on Twitter.


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