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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8f680000Coverage of the 2016 races in New Hampshire, from the White House to the State House.

Bill Clinton Stays Positive on New Hampshire Stump for Hillary

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for his wife Hillary in New Hampshire on Monday. At his first stop at Dartmouth College, he stressed that America’s future remains bright.

This positive message seemed to strike a chord with people – many of whom said there’s been too much venom and mudslinging this election cycle.

Such as John Telleris, 64, who was sporting a hat reading: "America is Already Great." He's been a Hillary supporter since the get-go, he says, "she's fighting to bring us together, not tear us apart."

Clinton’s speech focused on this idea by highlighting the differences between the two presidential candidate’s slogans – his wife’s “Stronger Together” vs Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again.”

Credit Paige Sutherland/NHPR
John Tolleris, 64, says Hillary Clinton "is fighting to bring us together, not tear us apart."

He, like voter John Telleris, said that America is better than ever before, focusing on what he called the social progress and economic growth of the past few years. And he contrasted that vision with what he called Trump’s “hell in a hand basket” rhetoric.

“You cannot give this country’s future away to people who think anger is better than answers, that endless conflict is better than cooperation, and that the path forward in the world is walls not bridges, you can’t do it – it’s your life," Clinton pleaded to the nearly 500 person crowd.

He also stressed the importance New Hampshire plays in next month’s election, and cited fond memories of his time in the state when he was campaigning such as attending fairs and the fall foliage.

Credit Paige Sutherland/NHPR
Hillary Clinton memorabilia was being sold outside the Bill Clinton event at Dartmouth College on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016.

Clinton urged Granite State voters to question which candidate is the best one to steer the country come 2017. Trump, he says, will drive the country off a cliff. His wife, Hillary, on the other hand:

“So if you give her the keys to the truck, what she will do is open the back, put everyone on and drive us to a new mountaintop – that is what New Hampshire can do, God Bless you.”

60 year-old Carol Stedman, who came across the border from Hartland, Vermont to hear Clinton speak, said handing the keys to Hillary is an easy choice for her.

"Not only can Hillary drive the truck but she's going to bring everybody in the truck together - stay on the road not drive us off the cliff," Stedman said.

During Clinton's 30-minute remarks, he stayed clear of the recent headlines from the other side who've pointed the finger at him when it comes to mistreating women and made accusations that the election is rigged.

Credit Paige Sutherland/NHPR
Bill Clinton told the Hanover crowd he is sick and tired of hearing from the other side that "America is going to Hell in a hand basket."

Hargis Thomas, 73, of New London, was pleased Bill Clinton didn't address these concerns. Thomas's thoughts on these claims are simple.

"In a word wah, wah, wah," he said with a chuckle. "He [Trump] is just grasping at straws."

The former president also made an appearance in Keene. This is Clinton’s first visit to the Granite State since the Primary.

Over the weekend Trump hosted a rally in Portsmouth. The two presidential candidates will face off for their final debate on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

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