SCARBOROUGH â Hillary Clinton rallied roughly 1,400 members of the Democratic Party faithful on behalf of U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud at Scarborough High School on Friday night, telling them he is running for governor because âMaine needs a fresh start.â
Clinton took the stage shortly before 7 p.m. to loud applause, declaring, âI like Mike.â
âI wanted to come lend my support to his campaign because I believe he would be the kind of governor the people of the state of Maine deserve to have,â Clinton said.
The former first lady and secretary of state urged attendees to âdouble and tripleâ their efforts to convince people to vote for Michaud, especially those considering supporting independent candidate Eliot Cutler, whom she didnât mention by name.
âThis is no time to be throwing your vote away,â Clinton said.
Striking a populist theme, Clinton touted Democratic ideals, especially those issues important to women, such as raising the minimum wage, paid family leave and access to health care.
Clintonâs stop in Maine is part of a larger effort to help Democrats throughout the country, including Colorado, Florida and New Hampshire, while laying the groundwork for a widely anticipated 2016 presidential run.
Rick Bennett, chairman of the Maine Republican Party, criticized Clintonâs visit in a written statement.
âWith just 11 days until the election, Democrats are still desperately trying to consolidate liberal support for Congressman Michaud after a disastrous series of debate performances made clear that he is unable to articulate policy positions or even answer the most basic questions about his vision for Maine,â Bennett said. âMrs. Clinton is on a campaign tour, stumping for any Democrat with a pulse in an attempt to shore up her own presidential aspirations.â
Republicans also sought to rekindle criticism of Clintonâs handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that led to the deaths of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.
Before the event, about 20 protesters carrying homemade signs with messages such as âHillary Lied An Ambassador Diedâ and âSilly Hilly Benghazi Does Matter.â They first stood near the main entrance, but were moved back by police.
Clinton supporters also were on hand outside the school before the event.
Matt Johnson of Orlando, Florida, said he follows both Hillary and Bill Clinton selling buttons, including Hillary for 2016. Maine was his 20th state in the last seven days, he said.
Clinton spent much of her 20-minute address highlighting Michaudâs biography as a former millworker who realized the American Dream by being elected to Congress.
She said he has always been interested in cleaning up messes â whether it was a polluted Penobscot River or problems in Veterans Affairs.
âNow Mike is running for governor because youâve got another mess on your hands,â she said, referring to Gov. Paul LePage. âI think Maine needs a fresh start. Mike has the grit and the vision to deliver that.â
Clinton contrasted Michaudâs âquiet and strongâ leadership, especially when as president of an evenly divided state Senate he raised the minimum wage, with LePageâs bombastic style.
âYou donât need a lot of yelling. You donât need to be insulting people. You need to bring them together and listen to each other,â she said.
Clintonâs visit reflects the Democratic Partyâs strategy of stimulating turnout among its base voters â particularly women â to counter the historical trend of higher Republican turnouts in non-presidential elections.
First lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton already have campaigned here for Michaud, and President Obama is scheduled to headline a Michaud rally Thursday in Portland.
Michaud is in a tight race against LePage, whose campaign has been bolstered by two prospective Republican presidential contenders, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. LePage was recently endorsed by former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, who have a home in Kennebunkport.
A poll conducted in mid-September for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center gave Michaud a 40 percent to 38 percent lead over LePage, which was within the pollâs 4-point margin of error. Independent Cutler, who almost beat LePage in 2010, lagged in a distant third place at 12 percent.
Speaking before Clinton, Michaud implored attendees to fight against special interest attacks and to stand behind him, so the outcome of the 2010 election, which featured the spectacular decline of the Democratic candidate, isnât repeated.
He noted how Republican donors have contributed $50,000 to a political action committee supporting Cutler, who almost beat LePage in 2010.
âThey know that is the only way Gov. LePage gets reelected by dividing us, and we canât let that happen,â he said. âI need you to stand with me and I need you to stay with me.â
Clinton is the latest in a series of high-profile Democrats campaigning for Michaud. In addition to Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama, Michaud has received support from Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who also is considered a 2016 presidential contender. Other Democrats who campaigned on Michaudâs behalf include Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former Clinton political strategist James Carville and Planned Parenthoodâs Cecile Richards.
LePageâs core issue of welfare reform appears to be resonating with many Maine voters, but Democrats â both nationally and in Maine â have focused on getting women excited about voting in November by highlighting issues such as reproductive freedom, equal pay for equal work, raising the minimum wage and funding education.
Joining Michaud as speakers at the rally were U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, U.S. Senate candidate Shenna Bellows, state senator and congressional candidate Emily Cain, and state Senate candidate Jim Boyle.
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