LOGAN - As her weeklong tour of West Virginia drew to a close Monday, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton told her supporters that she needs their votes in today's primary if she's going to be the next president.
LOGAN - As her weeklong tour of West Virginia drew to a close Monday, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton told her supporters that she needs their votes in today's primary if she's going to be the next president.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can until the polls close tomorrow," she told several hundred people at Logan High School Monday afternoon. "This going to be a crucial turning point in the election, If you stand up for me [today], I will stand up for you every single day [in the White House]."
Hillary Clinton greets Obama supporter Doris Smith at Tudor's Biscuit World on Washington Street in Charleston Monday, "Oh, I didn't want to do this," Smith said, embarrassed, who was wearing the Obama T-shirt as Clinton walked into the restaurant. "I didn't know she was going to be here."
The New York Democrat began her day in Charleston, then went to Clear Fork in Wyoming County before heading to Logan. On Monday evening, she boarded a plane for Fairmont and Gov. Joe Manchin's election-eve rally.
At each stop, Clinton told her supporters her plans to fix the economy, offer universal health care, fund higher education and end the war in Iraq.
"We can't just sit idly by and not deal with our problems and not have solutions," she said. "We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work and start acting like Americans again."
Mort Victorson, 84, and his wife Debbie donned Clinton stickers during her first stop at Tudor's Biscuit World on Washington Street East in Charleston.
Debbie Victorson said she would vote for Clinton because "she is married to Bill and she isn't Obama."
"I don't know her personally, but I like everything she stands for," said her husband, who said he has voted in every election for the past 63 years.
He believes that if Sen. Barack Obama gets the Democratic nomination for president, then Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, will win West Virginia in November.
One woman in Tudor's Monday morning strongly disagreed. Doris Smith, 61, of Institute sat in a booth with her husband, Sterling, proudly wearing an Obama T-shirt.
"I just happened to be here," she said. "I am a supporter of [Obama], but right now I'm concerned about who can be the strongest against McCain."
Still, Smith said she'd support Clinton if she gets the Democratic nomination. She even got some face time with the former first lady.
"I told her to stop the character assassination and start dealing with the issues," Smith said.
Later, at Westside High School in Wyoming County, Clinton spoke to a group of supporters that included high school students and community members.
"We need a president that understand that rich people don't make America great. It is the hard-working people like those in West Virginia," she said.
Her mentions of her husband, former president Bill Clinton, were frequent.
"I'm going to get back America back on track, the way my husband did," she said. The crowd erupted in applause.
Savannah Morgan, 18, a senior at Westside High, will be voting for the first time today.
"I was really excited she came to our school," she said following Clinton's speech. "It was just fun."
Marilyn Toler, who works at Westside, was encouraged by Clinton's vision.
"Everything she said was wonderful," Toler said. "Hopefully, she will be the one to turn America around."
At Logan High School, state Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin got the crowd riled up before Clinton took the stage.
He urged them to drive Clinton to an even larger victory than predicted by polls, some of which have her beating Obama in West Virginia by as much as 40 percent.
Chafin said the margin could be "80-20 or 90-10. Let's get the national media's attention."
Clinton followed, saying a primary vote could mean a win for her in November.
"West Virginia is really an indicator of which way the political wind will below," she said. "Nominate someone who can beat John McCain in November. ... I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I would be the best president for West Virginia and America."
Ursula Damron, 61, of Logan came to the United States from Germany in 1960. Now an American citizen, she previously voted for Bill Clinton.
"I'm so proud to be an American I could cry," she said following the rally. "She has a good chance."
Along with her husband, Virgil, a retried coal miner, Damron brought her grandchildren, Konner, 3, and Kelsey, 5 to the rally.
"It is very important to start [an interest in politics] early," she said. "As they grow up, they have to lead the country."
Nichole Bedford, 36, of Omar also brought her daughter to see Clinton. Bedford is voting for Clinton in the primary for a simple reason.
"Because she's a woman," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
So, if Clinton doesn't get the Democratic nomination?
She paused. "I'll vote Republican," she said.
To contact staff writer Sarah K. Winn, use e-mail or call 348-5156.
LOGAN - As her weeklong tour of West Virginia drew to a close Monday, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton told her supporters that she needs their votes in today's primary if she's going to be the next president.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can until the polls close tomorrow," she told several hundred people at Logan High School Monday afternoon. "This going to be a crucial turning point in the election, If you stand up for me [today], I will stand up for you every single day [in the White House]."
The New York Democrat began her day in Charleston, then went to Clear Fork in Wyoming County before heading to Logan. On Monday evening, she boarded a plane for Fairmont and Gov. Joe Manchin's election-eve rally.
At each stop, Clinton told her supporters her plans to fix the economy, offer universal health care, fund higher education and end the war in Iraq.
"We can't just sit idly by and not deal with our problems and not have solutions," she said. "We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work and start acting like Americans again."
Mort Victorson, 84, and his wife Debbie donned Clinton stickers during her first stop at Tudor's Biscuit World on Washington Street East in Charleston.
Debbie Victorson said she would vote for Clinton because "she is married to Bill and she isn't Obama."
"I don't know her personally, but I like everything she stands for," said her husband, who said he has voted in every election for the past 63 years.
He believes that if Sen. Barack Obama gets the Democratic nomination for president, then Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, will win West Virginia in November.
One woman in Tudor's Monday morning strongly disagreed. Doris Smith, 61, of Institute sat in a booth with her husband, Sterling, proudly wearing an Obama T-shirt.
"I just happened to be here," she said. "I am a supporter of [Obama], but right now I'm concerned about who can be the strongest against McCain."
Still, Smith said she'd support Clinton if she gets the Democratic nomination. She even got some face time with the former first lady.
"I told her to stop the character assassination and start dealing with the issues," Smith said.
Later, at Westside High School in Wyoming County, Clinton spoke to a group of supporters that included high school students and community members.
"We need a president that understand that rich people don't make America great. It is the hard-working people like those in West Virginia," she said.
Her mentions of her husband, former president Bill Clinton, were frequent.
"I'm going to get back America back on track, the way my husband did," she said. The crowd erupted in applause.
Savannah Morgan, 18, a senior at Westside High, will be voting for the first time today.
"I was really excited she came to our school," she said following Clinton's speech. "It was just fun."
Marilyn Toler, who works at Westside, was encouraged by Clinton's vision.
"Everything she said was wonderful," Toler said. "Hopefully, she will be the one to turn America around."
At Logan High School, state Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin got the crowd riled up before Clinton took the stage.
He urged them to drive Clinton to an even larger victory than predicted by polls, some of which have her beating Obama in West Virginia by as much as 40 percent.
Chafin said the margin could be "80-20 or 90-10. Let's get the national media's attention."
Clinton followed, saying a primary vote could mean a win for her in November.
"West Virginia is really an indicator of which way the political wind will below," she said. "Nominate someone who can beat John McCain in November. ... I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I would be the best president for West Virginia and America."
Ursula Damron, 61, of Logan came to the United States from Germany in 1960. Now an American citizen, she previously voted for Bill Clinton.
"I'm so proud to be an American I could cry," she said following the rally. "She has a good chance."
Along with her husband, Virgil, a retried coal miner, Damron brought her grandchildren, Konner, 3, and Kelsey, 5 to the rally.
"It is very important to start [an interest in politics] early," she said. "As they grow up, they have to lead the country."
Nichole Bedford, 36, of Omar also brought her daughter to see Clinton. Bedford is voting for Clinton in the primary for a simple reason.
"Because she's a woman," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
So, if Clinton doesn't get the Democratic nomination?
She paused. "I'll vote Republican," she said.
To contact staff writer Sarah K. Winn, use e-mail or call 348-5156.
Keep it clean. Comments that are obscene, sexually explicit, racist or offensive will be removed. If you wouldn’t say it to your mother, don’t post it here.
Be civil. Don’t threaten to hurt anyone. Personal attacks, insults or harassment of any kind are subject to removal.
Be truthful. Don’t lie about a situation or person.
Keep it brief. Keep your comment to one post. Redundant or multiple posts in a row aren’t allowed.
Stay on task. Stick to the topics relevant to the story and discussion.
Don’t post links to sites other than wvgazette.com.
Let us know about offensive comments. Click the “Report Abuse” button if you think a comment is against the rules.
WASHINGTON - President-elect Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas.
WASHINGTON - Nearly 8,000 jobs waiting to be filled. Empty file drawers. Missing computer hard drives. Even furniture piled in the hallways.Talk about a startup.The most powerful office in the world has less than three months to come into being, essentially from scratch.
CHICAGO - President-elect Obama spoke to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday as the future American leader had another round of phone calls with counterparts in other nations.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Jammed ballot boxes, a power outage and confusion over polling places were among early Election Day problems reported in Kanawha County, County Clerk Vera McCormick said this afternoon.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Barack Obama and John McCain uncorked massive get-out-the-vote operations in more than a dozen battleground states Sunday, millions of telephone calls, mailings and door-knockings in a frenzied, fitting climax to a record-shattering $1 billion campaign. Together, they'll spend about $8 per presidential vote.
In the closing hours of a contentious campaign, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., debated her Democratic opponent, Anne Barth, for half an hour at WSAZ-TV's studio on Saturday.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The low profile of Republican Marty Gearheart's underfunded campaign to unseat Democrat Nick Rahall masks stark philosophical differences between the 3rd Congressional District candidates.
SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Warmed by the cheers of thousands, John McCain and Barack Obama plunged through the final weekend of their marathon race for the White House, the Republican digging for an upset while his confident-sounding rival told supporters, "We can change this country."
Last year, West Virginia received $215 million in federal earmarks, funding requests inserted into bills by members of Congress. But if Sen. John McCain is elected president next month, most of those earmarks could disappear.
Hard to say which came as more of a surprise last week: That West Virginia's economic growth is outpacing the rest of the nation, or that the West Virginia Education Association failed to endorse Gov. Joe Manchin for re-election.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Barack Obama is playing it safe. Leading in polls with 25 days to Election Day, the Democratic nominee is offering careful proposals to address the economic crisis while letting allies respond to John McCain's sharpest charges.
Post a comment