Hillary for New York Monday launched its general election campaign office in Buffalo. This is one of a number of regional offices the campaign plans to open throughout New York State in the coming weeks.At an event announcing the opening, elected officials including Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, as well as dozens of supporters and volunteers, discussed ways to put Clinton in the White House.
“Secretary Clinton is gratified to have tens of thousands of volunteers in Erie County and we’re going to mobilize every single one of them between now and November 8,” said Rodney Capel, state director of Hillary for New York. “Whether it’s making phone calls or going on bus trips to battleground states to speak to voters, our Buffalo field office will be a critical hub for our efforts to help Hillary Clinton make history.”
Regional Campaign Manager Dick Jenkins said phone banks start Thursday and he encouraged everyone to join local watch parties for Monday's presidential debate between Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
"New York is the call center for the rest of the country. Our volunteers call into every battleground state. We are having crucial conversations with the voters who will go out there and make the decision. New Yorkers play a key role in getting us to the magic number of 270," Jenkins said.
"What's the magic number?" he asked supporters. "270," they repeated in unison. "Who's helping her get to that number?" he asked. "We are," they shouted.
Jenkins said phone banks will begin Thursday and he encouraged supporters to join watch parties for Monday's presidential debate between Clinton and Donald Trump.
Buffalo Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes praised Clinton's long record of public service, including her work on health care.
"Child Health Plus. We didn't have CHIP before Hillary Clinton. We didn't have access to health care for children before Hillary Clinton. Actually, if people hadn't beat her down so badly, we would have had it for everybody," Peoples-Stokes said to applause from the audience of supporters.
"But she didn't give up. She didn't give up. It's still ongoing and nearly 9 million children in America have health care because of the work Hillary did," she said.
Among the Democratic candidates up for election in attendance was Amber Small, running in the 60th State Senate District.
"Every day I'm walking through the 60th District and I'm talking to people," Small said, "and I had a man say to me, 'Get off my lawn. I'm not supporting Hillary Clinton.' So I stood on the sidewalk and I talked to him about myself and why I'm running. And then I said, 'You know who I'm supporting? Hillary Clinton.' And he said, 'What day is the election?' That's what we have to do."
Located in the Larkin Building at 671 Seneca Street, the regional field office will serve as a hub for organizers and volunteers hosting daily phone banks, meetings and canvasses from the office.
