WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. _ Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama held their first joint rally Thursday afternoon in Winston-Salem, promoting not just her candidacy for the White House but other Democrats for governor and the U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
"This election is about whether we build on the progress we've made, the legacy President Obama has built, or rip it away and let it go backwards," Clinton told the crowd, which numbered about 10,500, according to a Wake Forest spokesman.
She quickly turned to other issues in the state, encouraging people to elect Roy Cooper governor and Deborah Ross to the Senate, two tight races that could have a national impact. She tied their campaigns to North Carolina issues, such as voting rights and House Bill 2, the state law that nullified a Charlotte ordinance that expanded protections for LGBT individuals.
"He will repeal HB2," Clinton said of Cooper, drawing applause from the crowd. She also touted immigration reform, climate change, gay marriage, affordable college education and gender issues such as equal pay for women, drawing cheers from the crowd that was mostly on its feet.
"I believe everything we care about is at stake in this election," Clinton said.
The candidates have been making frequent visits to North Carolina, a key swing state. With early voting already well underway, both parties are trying to rally their supporters to get to the polls.
Republican Donald Trump spoke in Charlotte on Wednesday, promising a "new deal for black America" in a speech at Spirit Square, touting stronger crime and immigration control. Clinton most recently visited North Carolina on Sunday, with a rally promoting student and early voting at UNC Charlotte. Other recent headliners have included vice presidential candidates Tim Kaine and Mike Pence, along with surrogates such as Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Ben Carson and Donald Trump Jr. Bill Clinton campaigns in Charlotte Sunday.
At Thursday's rally, Michelle Obama praised Clinton's experience, including as a lawyer, first lady, secretary of state and senator.
"We have never had a more qualified and prepared candidate for president than our friend Hillary Clinton," said Obama, who called Clinton "my girl."
"Hillary doesn't play," said Obama. She painted Trump's message as one of "hopelessness ... a vision of a country that is weak and divided, a country in chaos, where other citizens are a threat."
"This is truly an unprecedented election, and that's why I'm out here," Obama said. She said the president should have a steady disposition and be, "Someone we can trust with the nuclear codes, because we want to go to sleep at night knowing our kids and our country are safe."
She also stressed the importance of early voting and turnout in what's likely to be a close contest in North Carolina, and criticized Trump for his repeated assertion that the election will be rigged or stolen by a global cabal.
"When you hear folks talking about a global conspiracy and saying this election is rigged, understand they are trying to get you to stay home," said Obama. "They are trying to take away your hope."
And she emphasized Barack Obama's slim margin of victory in North Carolina in the 2008 presidential race against Sen. John McCain.
"Barack won North Carolina by about 14,000 votes," she said. "The difference between winning and losing this state was a little over two votes per precinct. ... We have to turn people out."
In 2012, Obama lost the state to Romney by about 17 votes per precinct, Obama said.
"How many of y'all have voted?" Ross asked the crowd at Thursday's rally. When the crowd cheered, she encouraged them to register and vote early. "That's not enough. ... The polls are razor-thin, and your votes are going to determine all these races up and down the ballot."
She also criticized Trump, and brought up the third presidential debate, when he called Clinton "such a nasty woman."
"He forgot that nasty women vote," said Ross. A woman at the rally had a purse with the words "Nasty Woman" painted on it.
Republicans were quick to criticize Clinton on Thursday, sending a response to her rally before she spoke. The North Carolina GOP statement, sent from State Sen. Joyce Krawiec, pointed to rising premiums for unsubsidized health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
"Hillary Clinton's campaign stop comes as North Carolinians continue to grapple with the news that health care premiums will skyrocket by double-digits next year," she said. "Democrats like Hillary Clinton, Deborah Ross and Roy Cooper refuse to admit the harmful consequences of Obamacare but they can't run from their ownership and support of the disastrous law."
Clinton said the "bullying" rhetoric of the election is having a negative impact on children.
"They're scared if they're Muslim, or if they have a disability," she said. "Let's work together, and let's be hopeful, and optimistic, and unified in the face of division and hate."
