Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton brought out her daughter Chelsea, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) and her husband astronaut Mark Kelly as she pushed for votes in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday.
The rally, just two days before the Iowa caucuses, focused on Clinton’s record on gun control. The former secretary of State has been touting the issue, repeatedly hammering rival Bernie Sanders over his votes on gun bills.
{mosads}Kelly touted Clinton’s experience, saying that “there is only one candidate that is willing to take on the tough fights, and that candidate is Hillary Clinton.”
Giffords, who survived a gunshot wound to the head in a mass shooting five years ago, spoke briefly.
“In the White House, she will stand up to the gun lobby, and that’s why I’ll be voting for Hillary,” she said.
“Speaking is hard for me, but come January I want to be saying these two words: ‘Madam President.’ ”
Clinton praised the couple’s activism, citing statistics on gun violence and her interactions with the families of shooting victims.
“What is wrong with us?” She asked. “How can we continue to ignore the toll this is taking on our children and our country?”
Clinton also took aim at Republicans over their economic stances.
“What they are proposing would cause great damage to our economy and our country,” she said.
She noted that the last two Democratic presidents both pulled the country out of poor economic situations.
Clinton made very few references to Sanders, who has been threatening her lead in Iowa in the weeks leading up to the caucuses.
She did, however, say that she was proud that the Democratic campaigns had run an “issue-based” election, instead of resorting to personal attacks.
Clinton then drew a distinction between her stance on healthcare and that of Sanders, and added that she didn’t want to make college free for the wealthy.
“I don’t want to pay for Donald Trump’s child to go to college.”