While reporters were sifting through 1,900 emails from Hillary Clinton’s time at the State Department on Tuesday night, the candidate herself was at a concert venue in New York City.
A big blue H with a red arrow across it glowed brightly above West 56th Street outside Terminal 5 as the Democratic presidential frontrunner addressed young New Yorkers who had paid between $45 and $250 to hear her speak.
Clinton announced on Wednesday that her campaign had raised a record-breaking $45m in political contributions since she entered the race in April, beating the previous highest total for first-quarter fundraising: Barack Obama’s $41.9m in 2011.
Like most of Clinton’s events and fundraisers, the one in New York took place behind closed doors and away from the press. From outside the venue, it looked like Clinton’s team had succeeded in attracting young, affluent voters with money to spend.
Clinton has been courting the youth vote for a while now. There was the Spotify playlist she released on the day of her official campaign launch. Then there was the Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga dinner on 24 June – with tickets costing between $1,000 and $2,700. Tuesday’s event was inexpensive by comparison, with the priciest “premium ticket” going for $250, including open bar. A limited number of balcony tickets were available for just $45.
DJ Cassidy spun the latest hits and actor Olivia Wilde introduced Clinton that night as the next president of the United States.
“People believed my mother, enabled her to believe in me and then gave me the great gift of believing in each and every one of you,” Clinton told the audience, making an asset of her age by telling the young voters, most of them female, that she hoped they were ready for a grandmother-in-chief.
The young voters themselves were less talkative as they left the venue.
“No thanks, we are good,” one young woman said while giving this reporter the “talk to the hand” signal.
“We can’t comment. Thank you,” said another, turning on her heel.
One of her friends shrugged her shoulders and said: “Sorry, I do what she tells me.”
“They didn’t party. When she left, everyone filed out,” said Howard Cash, who was selling unofficial Clinton-themed pins outside. “She is not inspirational yet. She was here for 15 minutes and she was done. I don’t think she is taking the base seriously. The people that paid $50 and $100 to come in, I think they deserve a little bit more.”
He added: “Bernie Sanders is catching up. She has got the machine, the money. She has got the track record, the influence. But can she get the voters to the polls?”
As 10pm approached, the last to leave made their way to a handful of Ubers lining up around the corner, one young woman wearing an “NY hearts Hillary” T-shirt.
As one young man in his mid-20s walked out, Cash’s pins – two for $5 – caught his eye.
“I am going to get one. My roommate is super-conservative,” he said as his two female companions giggled. But it was not to be. Patting down his suit, he said: “Oh shit. I think I left my cash at the office.”
With that, he disappeared into a waiting cab and was gone.
