Clinton, Kaine rally in Pittsburgh as part of final campaign push

Photo by Sabrina Bodon

More than 1,800 people attended a campaign rally held by Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine Saturday. During their speeches, Clinton and Kaine covered topics concerning economic growth, how to represent working families and gender equality.

Written By Sabrina Bodon, Online Editor

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine called for a unified presidency built on their desire to be the face of issues affecting everyday Americans Saturday afternoon in Squirrel Hill.

Clinton remained persistent in discussing topics relevant to representing working families, gender equality and economic growth.

“Whatever issue you care about, it’s going to be on the ballot,” Clinton said. “Now, my name and Tim’s name may be the ones on the ballot, but we’re going to be representing everything that you and we hope we can do together in our country.”

The pair addressed a crowd of over 1,800 and an additional 1,250 overflow crowd members who watched the event through a live stream at the Taylor Allderdice High School.

While she criticized Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over his rhetoric, Clinton reminded the crowd of Sen. Pat Toomey’s lack of effort in disavowing Trump.

“How much more does Pat Toomey need to hear?” Clinton asked. “If he doesn’t have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump after all this, then can you be sure he’ll stand up for you when it counts against powerful interests?”

Toomey is among several prominent Republicans who have either rescinded their support of Trump or failed to endorse the nominee, including former president George W. Bush and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Clinton offered Democrat Katie McGinty as a solution to voters, two weeks before the election in a tight race for the Senate seat.

“[Katie McGinty] believes our economy should work for everyone, not just those at the top,” Clinton said. “She’s exactly the kind of senator that Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania need in the Senate.”

Kaine focused on the importance of women in power, noting how the women around him have shaped his life and career.

“If I really think about it, I know that I’ve only gotten the positions of leadership and responsibility because I’ve had a lot of strong women who were willing to support me,” Kaine said.

The Virginia senator’s speech revolved around the effect a female president can have on America.

“Just think about this — Hillary’s mom was born before women had the right to vote. And Hillary’s daughter, Chelsea, will now get to vote for her mom to be president,” Kaine said. “Now is the claim of generational progress that this country holds for all of us when we do our best work.”

The chilled rain and wind didn’t stop freshmen roommates Victoria Bails and Ashley Morris from joining the crowd Saturday. Both came to the event as undecided voters.

“The more I thought about it, the more I saw that Hillary and I share a lot of the same points,” Bails, a journalism major, said. “I knew that from the beginning, but after the rally, I knew she would be the only candidate to enforce what I want.”

Morris continues to hold out from declaring her support, but wishes to see more of what other candidates like Trump and Libertarian Gary Johnson have to say.

“I’m not excited to vote at all for this,” Morris, a broadcast reporting major, said. “I would say I’m still undecided, but [the rally] did give me an idea of who I’d like to vote for… I would have liked to have also gone to a Trump rally just to see.”

Throughout her speech, Clinton reached out undecided voters like Bails and Morris, saying she wants to do what’s necessary to support them and their needs.

“You probably know people who are thinking about voting for Donald Trump. I want you to tell them that I understand that they need a president who cares about them,” Clinton said, “I want to be their president.”