The continuing saga over Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s emails are not a worry for many who came to support her at Smale Park along the Ohio River Monday night.
In fact some at the rally that drew a few thousand people seem to be shrugging the issue off, such as Richard Klein who lives in Green Twp. on Cincinnati’s westside.
“I don’t care about it,” he said.
But some like Carolyn Teague, of Sycamore Twp., said her candidate has been “unfairly attacked” by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and those on the political right, including with the issues of her emails. She said the email scandal might affect those voters who are “wishy-washy” on who they’re supporting, and “who aren’t really looking at what’s factually sound.”
“I think the people who want her will still want her,” she said. “(The emails) haven’t affected me at all because I think it’s contrived.”
Jeannie Campbell, of Beavercreek, said if people aren't worried about the 22 million emails that were reported lost by the President George W. Bush administration, she's not worried about Clinton's emails. But she understands people will make it an issue.
“I think there will be people that will not fact check things … and will not dig into what’s really going on,” she said.
It’s a week before the Nov. 8 general election, where Clinton is in a neck-and-neck race with Trump in many battleground states, including Ohio where Trump has a slight lead in recent polls. Clinton and many surrogates, including former astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly and wife former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Arizona, were in Cincinnati to encourage people to vote early.
Clinton didn't talk much about the email scandal, but acknowledged it saying she "made a mistake" and is "not making any excuses."
This presidential election has been unlike any other in the past — both major party candidates embroiled in some type of scandal, both have high unfavorability outside their bases — but Teague, like other Clinton supporters, said for her it’s about how the candidate can help people.
“She really needs to talk about the fact that she is for the people,” she said.
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley agreed with those sentiments when he spoke as one of the several warm-up acts Monday evening.
Cranley, who hosted a private fundraiser at his home this summer for Clinton, said the former secretary of state will take care of Cincinnati if she’s in the White House. He said he “personally” knows that Clinton is “committed to building the Brent Spence Bridge (across the Ohio River).”