On Tuesday night, the Democratic Party of Virginia opened Hillary Clinton’s Charlottesville campaign office on the Downtown Mall.
Virginia House Minority Leader David Toscano (D) spoke at the event. Also in attendance were Mayor Mike Signer, Councilwoman Kristin Szakos and dozens of staffers and party volunteers.
At the opening, Toscano noted the unsettled state of the ongoing Republican National Convention in Cleveland, but also added that the presidential race is still close and Virginia remains a valuable swing state.
“Let’s throw aside how disorganized that campaign appears to be, and actually is, and remember this election is by no means a foregone conclusion,” Toscano said. “This election will be tight — this election will require Virginia to be a Democratic ally for Hillary Clinton.”
Toscano urged voters to actively support and endorse Clinton as best suited for the presidency.
“Beyond these points about Trump and why we shouldn’t support him we have to focus on the positive,” Toscano said. “We have to present a positive image. People don’t want to vote against someone, they want to vote for someone. I want us to think about why we like Hillary Clinton.”
Hillary Clinton will focus on job creation for people at all socioeconomic levels, Toscano added.
“Hillary Clinton understands — even though we’ve had 75 months of job creation with Obama — she knows even with that creation we’re not creating as many good paying jobs as we need to,” Toscano said. “And we’ve got to solve that. We’ve been providing too many tax breaks for people who are wealthy, and we’ve got to fix that, and she’s going to do that — she’s going to fight for you.”
Party volunteer Mary Ann Harris said local Democrats will continue campaigning for Clinton over the phone, door-to-door and through voter registration drives.
In August the University will become an important site for campaign activities, Harris added.
“When the students come back they usually have their own meeting on campus and I believe we coordinate together with University Democrats,” Harris said. “Obviously they’re a big part of it, and it’s important to make sure they’re registered if they’re going to vote here, and if they’re going to vote absentee that they’ve filled out the forms for doing that.”
Harris, who has volunteered for presidential campaigns in the past, said she did not originally plan to be heavily involved in the 2016 presidential race, but she reconsidered as the campaign developed.
“Comparing the two candidates, Hillary Clinton has experience,” she said. “She understands our world. I think it’s one of the most important elections of my lifetime.”
According to Harris, her past career as a social worker has helped her see the issues in a unique light.
“In my professional life I saw children and families suffer, and I saw how they could also benefit from having good social policy, and how families benefiting meant that the community you live in is going to benefit,” Harris said.
Clinton’s grasp of social issues, as well as her experience in foreign affairs, make her a well-qualified candidate, Harris said.
“The other issue to me is just national security, which has never really been at the forefront of my thinking before,” Harris said. “But realizing how tragic things could become — how quickly they could become tragic — that again, her experience [and] her ability to make rational decisions is very important.”
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