Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchartakes the stage to a raucous welcome after Nashua supporter and District 5 governor's councilor Debora Pignatelli, right, introduced her at Sunday's get-out-the-vote event at Fairgrounds Middle School.

NASHUA – A mix of Amy Klobuchar supporters and undecided Democratic voters who filled the Fairgrounds Middle School gym to capacity late Sunday afternoon heard from a fired-up candidate who, in the words of Nashua native and longtime supporter Bill Barry, is “smart, compassionate, unflappable, trusted, tough as nails” and is “ready to bring the fight to Donald Trump” in November.

District 5 executive councilor Debora Pignatelli, like Barry a longtime Nashua resident and Klobuchar supporter, introduced the Minnesota senator, calling her “the most effective Democratic senator … a fighter for values we hold for every citizen.”

Klobuchar, although placing fifth among likely Democratic primary voters in a new CNN/University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released Sunday morning, drew frequent, enthusiastic cheers from attendees, who several times broke out in chants of “Amy, Amy, Amy” during her roughly 20-minute speech.

Klobuchar, who called her candidacy “an incredible campaign … an incredible journey” that, she said, many observers didn’t give much of a chance, vowed to “restore decency to our politics” if voters put her in a position to face, and defeat, Trump in November.

She praised Granite Staters as “people who actually believe” serving public office “is about the best idea, not about the biggest bank account,” and for sharing her believe in “grassroots politics.”

Klobuchar criticized Trump on several fronts, describing him as “a president who literally tries to divide us every day … he goes after immigrants, people of color, he blames Barack Obama for (Trump’s) problems,” and even “blames the entire Kingdom of Denmark,” a reference to last summer’s flap over Trump’s announcement he wanted to buy Greenland, which the Kingdom of Denmark owns, and calling the Danish prime minister “nasty.”

Klobuchar said that in order to “win this, and win it big,” a “fired-up Democratic base” must “bring with us independents and moderate Republicans … we cannot do it alone,” she added.

Referring to the Midwestern states, which, Klobuchar said, is considered “fly-over country” by Trump, she said a Klobuchar administration “is going to build a big, beautiful blue wall of votes around (the Midwest) – we can include New Hampshire too – and we’re going to make Donald Trump pay for it,” she said to a mix of cheers and laughter.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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