Chelsea is latest Clinton surrogate to hit state

chelsea
Chelsea Clinton made a pitch for her mother's presidential bid during a campaign rally at Plaza Verde in Minneapolis. Tim Pugmire|MPR News

Chelsea Clinton made a campaign appearance on behalf of her mother Thursday in Minneapolis where she thanked supporters and urged them to make a strong showing in November.

With some recent polls showing the presidential race tightening in Minnesota, Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign has sent several surrogates to the state, including Bernie Sanders earlier this week.

At a rally that included many Latino voters, Chelsea Clinton said she’s troubled by political rhetoric being aimed this year at immigrants and other groups.

“We have to have a president who understands that words matter and who understands how to actually help us move forward together,” Clinton said. “When my mom talks about 'stronger together,' it’s not just a slogan. It is what she believes in the marrow of her bones and in the depths of her heart.”

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Clinton’s remarks were similar to those she made during a Minneapolis campaign visit back in February. Both times she shared her concern about a “normalization of hate speech” and her contention that as a recent mother “this is the most important presidential election” in her lifetime.

During a question and answer session, a 9-year-old boy told Clinton that Philando Castile, the man shot and killed in Falcon Heights by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop in July, worked at his school and was his best friend.

Clinton thanked the boy for an important reminder about values and inclusion.

“We have a lot of work to do to ensure that anyone and everyone can live up to their God-given potential, as my mom has talked about, without having to worry that they will not be alive or not have every opportunity they deserve because of the color of their skin,” she said

Republicans panned the event before it took place. The state Republican party called the visit a “desperate ploy.”

The state director for GOP nominee Donald Trump’s campaign said Clinton is sending surrogates to Minnesota to try to paint a false image of enthusiasm among millennial voters.