Hillary Clinton Visits San Antonio as Part of Major Hispanic Push

Hillary Clinton visited San Antonio Thursday as part of a nationwide push to mobilize Hispanic voters.

The Democratic presidential candidate first held a question-and-answer session Thursday at a resorted downtown train station with United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce head Javier Palomarez.

Afterward, she attended a "Latinos for Hillary" rally where she spoke to an enthusiastic crowd for about 30 minutes.

Clinton was introduced, and endorsed by Secretary of Housing and Development Julian Castro. Castro is very popular in San Antonio, where he served as mayor.

Clinton received a huge welcome from the crowd when she talked about her time in San Antonio. She came for a summer when she was 24, to help register voters. She then turned to voting now in Texas.

The state passed a voter ID law, which said voters must have a state issued ID in order to vote. That was later ruled unconstitutional by the higher courts.

“I am not telling any secrets up here. Republicans are doing everything they can in this state to make it harder for people to vote,” said Clinton. “I want you to be able to vote no matter who you vote for and as president I will fight any effort by anyone, anywhere to disenfranchise any American.”

Immigration has been a major issue in this campaign. Clinton addressed that as well.

“When I talk about fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it must have a path to full and equal citizenship for hardworking, law-abiding immigrant families,” she added.

Clinton arrived in San Antonio fresh from the debate in Las Vegas, where gun control was a topic. Clinton wants to expand background checks.

“I have been told by some quit talking about this, quit shouting about this. I will tell you now I will not be silenced. We will not be silenced. We must continue to speak out,” Clinton said.

Her "Latinos for Hillary" effort has already taken Clinton to South Florida, and she arranged watch parties geared toward garnering Hispanic support during Tuesday's debate in Las Vegas.

Texas is the largest of a dozen-plus states set to hold "Super Tuesday" presidential primaries March 1.

Clinton has long been a favorite of Texas Democrats, who supported her over then-candidate Barack Obama in the state's 2008 Democratic primary.

She and her husband Bill lived in San Antonio in the 1970s, while working for George McGovern's presidential campaign.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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