Hillary Clinton Makes Campaign Stop in Baltimore

By ALEXANDRA PAMIAS, Capital News Service, and ELIZABETH JANNEY, Patch Staff

BALTIMORE, MD – Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore, threw his support behind Democratic Presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton during a recent rally in south Baltimore.

“We can take the high road of liberty, justice, and opportunity—the road taken by Bill Clinton, Lyndon B. Johnson, President Barack Obama and the road that Hillary Clinton will take,” Cummings said in his endorsement. “Or we can take the low road—the road of division, of fraction, disruption, bigotry, the road of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.”

“I came here today to ask each of you to join me in taking the high road, to join me in marching with this great lady, Hillary Clinton,” the congressman said at Sunday's rally.

Clinton praised Cummings’s integrity and character, referring to the 11 hours she spent sitting in front of him and the House committee investigating the Benghazi attacks. Cummings was her clear ally.

“I was so proud to see him leading the Democrats and listening to him make the points that needed to be made,” Clinton said. “I wasn’t surprised because that’s the kind of congressman he is. And I just have to tell you how lucky you are to have him as one of your leaders.”

Clinton said as the nation's leader she planned to allocate "hundreds of billions of dollars to places like West and East Baltimore," according to Fox 45.

She spoke to supporters inside City Garage, a building transformed from an old city bus garage into the home of Under Armour’s innovation division, a move by the company to encourage businesses to stay in the city.

Clinton said she would do anything in her power to break down economic barriers standing in the way of any American, as well as focus on invigorating communities that have been ignored in the past.

"I think the red line here in Baltimore should have been completed," Clinton said, in a criticism of Gov. Larry Hogan's decision to halt the project, which would have connected parts of Baltimore through rail.

Approximately 1,000 people attended Sunday's rally near Port Covington, where Clinton touched on issues from the minimum wage to child health care to clean energy, Baltimore magazine reported. In attendance were Maryland political leaders including Senator Barbara Mikulski and Cummings.

With the support of Cummings, now Clinton has the endorsement of every Democratic lawmaker in the Maryland congressional delegation, according to The Washington Post.

A Washington Post-University of Maryland Poll released last week showed Clinton leading Sanders 55 percent to 40 percent among likely Maryland Democratic voters.

“I believe we need to build on the progress that we have made under President (Barack) Obama,” said Clinton. “We need to look for every way possible to create new jobs. We need to be focusing on how we can bring investment to places that need it.”

Clinton stated that she will lay out a comprehensive jobs agenda, and that part of that plan would be to direct $20 billion specifically at helping to create jobs for young people.

“It is a fact: our economy does better when we have a Democrat in the White House,” Clinton told the crowd. “So what I say we need to be doing is what works.”

Clinton and Cummings were joined onstage by Maryland’s Democratic senators, Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, who had pledged their support to Clinton earlier in her campaign.

The primary in Maryland is Tuesday, April 26. Early voting is Thursday, April 14, to Thursday, April 21.

Screenshot from WBAL/YouTube.

See Also:

• Bernie Sanders: West Baltimore is Like 'Third-World Country'
• When Does Early Voting Begin for Maryland's Presidential Primary 2016?
• Sanders Campaign Boosts Profile in Maryland Ahead of Primary