AURORA | Chelsea Clinton was less than a minute into her speech at the “Get Out the Vote” rally at Aurora’s Martin Luther King Jr. Library before she was interrupted by protesters chanting “lock her up” while holding a large banner that read “vote to end Clinton corruption.”
But the chants from the few male protesters did little to rile the Hillary Clinton supporters who turned up for the Aurora event Tuesday evening. According to sign-in sheets, about 400 people turned up for the event.
“Love trumps hate, and we’re going to prove that November 8,” Hillary’s daughter said in response to protesters and amid cheers from Clinton supporters.
While the rally drew drastically fewer people than the Trump event held at the nearby Wing Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum earlier this year, it did attract local politicians state Sen. Morgan Carroll and Dominique Jackson, the Democratic candidate for Colorado House District 42.
Carroll touted the importance of this election season, both at a national and local level, while introducing Chelsea.
“I cannot think of a time when I’ve heard more hateful rhetoric. Right now, this election is about whether we’re going to a path of love and respect, or hate,” said Carroll, the Democratic candidate in Aurora’s 6th Congressional District. “Please know how powerful your vote is. Your vote is so powerful. People are afraid of your vote.”
Jackson echoed similar sentiments and added that Aurora would benefit from a president like Hillary because “she stands up for us regular people.”
.@ChelseaClinton speaking about wage inequality at #GOTV rally #copolitics #Aurora pic.twitter.com/sPqJIGvbWK
— Susan Gonzalez (@TheNewsan) November 2, 2016
“I think us regular folks deserve a fair shot like everyone else and I think that’s what (Hillary) stands for,” Jackson said.
Issues affecting “regular people” are what Chelsea highlighted at the rally, including job creation, gun violence and access to mental health care.
“Something that my mom has said that really stuck with me is she’s tired of people treating physical health as what happens only from the neck down,” Chelsea said. “My mom is the only major presidential party candidate who’s ever given a speech about her mental health agenda and to have a fully fleshed out mental health agenda.”
Chelsea also emphasized the importance of fixing wage disparities.
#Trump protesters came out as soon as @ChelseaClinton took the stage. Security took them away #aurora #copolitics pic.twitter.com/h9VnQ8iAfk
— Susan Gonzalez (@TheNewsan) November 2, 2016
“Whenever (Hillary) talks about raising the minimum wage, she also talks about equal pay for equal work — for women and for Americans with disabilities,” Chelsea said. “We should be valuing equal work equally.”
It is this championing for equality that made Donna Moody a Clinton supporter and drew her to the rally. She believes the Democratic candidate would benefit Aurora and it’s “regular” citizens.
“She’s for women’s rights, equal pay, Planned Parenthood…for the rich to pay their fair share of taxes,” said Moody, who has lived in Aurora most of her life and phone banks for Hillary. “The list goes on and on. And I know she’s for people’s rights, regular working people’s rights.”
