Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in her home county of Westchester this morning to campaign for Democratic Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. She delivered a speech during a public “Women for Maloney” event.
Hillary Clinton, who also served as a U.S. senator for New York, spoke to an audience of some 200 people at the Pinnacle Restaurant at Heritage Hills, a condominium complex in Somers.
“But you really fired up this crowd Sean Patrick Maloney,” said Clinton. “And I’ve heard a few speeches in my time and I have to say I’m going to call my husband and say you done good, you done good.”
Clinton, who had rallied for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley on October 24, was back in New York to rally for the congressman who campaigned in 1992 for her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and who served as senior advisor in the Clinton White House.
“I’m here not only because I remember that young man – he looks pretty much the same as he did nearly 25 years ago -- that I met all those years ago in New Hampshire, that worked in the White House,” Clinton said. “I’m here because he’s been a good congressman for this district, for the people he has represented.”
Prior to Clinton taking the stage, Michele McKeon, a Republican Goshen resident who is co-chair of "Women for Maloney," introduced the congressman.
“So it is my pleasure as a woman who is a registered Republican, don’t be booing me, and will publicly and proudly be voting for Congressman Sean Maloney in a little bit over a week, please help me welcome Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney,” said McKeon.
Maloney says it’s the first time Hillary Clinton has campaigned like this for him.
“Well, it’s my first time having her campaign for me. I of course worked for Hillary and her husband for years and I’m proud of that,” says Maloney. “And I’m proud to be called a Clinton Democrat which means fighting for the middle class, reaching across the aisle, and getting bipartisan results. And that’s what we were talking about today.”
The 18th Congressional District race is a rematch from 2012, pitting Maloney against Republican Nan Hayworth. It was close and contentious then and now. Terrence Michos is spokesman for Hayworth. He notes that Hayworth has her share of cross-party endorsements. He also brushed off the Clinton appearance.
“Well this really isn’t about Hillary Clinton. It’s about Sean Maloney. And women in the Hudson Valley are struggling because Sean Maloney has voted with Nancy Pelosi 80 percent of the time for higher taxes, skyrocketing energy costs, and Obamacare, of course,” says Michos. “Young women are graduating from college with mountains of student-loan debt. Senior women are seeing a cut to their Medicare benefits. That’s Sean Maloney’s women’s agenda. He can’t defend it so he’s running the most negative campaign the Hudson Valley has ever seen.”
Maloney sums up the choice.
“We just have a very different vision of America,” says Maloney. “She’s described herself as a Tea Party radical. I’m a Bill Clinton Democrat. That’s the choice.”
Clinton describes Maloney as being on the side of women.
“So you’ve got a clear choice in this campaign,” said Clinton. “You have someone who has proven to be pro-family, who understands how hard people are working, who is standing up for women’s equality in the workplace, and who is standing up for women’s rights to make their own choices when it comes to their healthcare.”
She implored audience members to double up their efforts in getting Maloney voters to the polls.
“And it comes down to who shows up,” Clinton said. “Some people are tuned out and they’re not going to turn out unless you do everything you can to persuade them to do so.”
Later in the day, Maloney and Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand toured a house in Poughkeepsie rebuilt by students who are part of a job training program.
