LAS
VEGAS (AP) — Hoping to capitalize on the criticism battering Donald
Trump, Hillary Clinton has begun portraying support for her candidacy as
a patriotic duty of voters. She's broadening her message and appealing
directly to Republicans to keep him out of the White House.
It's
a twist for a Democratic presidential candidate who has some of the
highest unpopularity ratings in history. But aides believe Trump's
controversial campaign and the chaos it's caused within the Republican
Party offers a unique opportunity.
In
Ohio recently, Clinton urged Republicans "to pick country over party."
She told several thousand at a union hall in Las Vegas on Thursday, "I
want to be the president for all Americans. Democrats, Republicans
independents. We're going to pull America together again."
Clinton
had always planned to speak to a broader audience during the general
election campaign, a standard move for presidential candidates after
their party conventions. But the state of Trump's campaign and his
decision to stick with his inflammatory primary message has prompted her
to intensify her focus across party lines.
Democrats,
including President Barack Obama, have begun arguing that Trump poses a
unique danger to democracy. That's an argument they did not make
against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or Arizona Sen. John
McCain, the past two GOP presidential nominees.
As
she's campaigned across the country this week, Clinton has framed the
election as a choice between economic growth and "demagoguery" and
"insults." And she's making a point of acknowledging the deep economic
anxiety that helped fuel Trump's rise in the primary polls.
"I
know people are angry and frustrated," she said in a speech on a
factory floor in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. "I'm not going into this with
some kind of rose colored glasses."
A
small team is working on Republican outreach at Clinton's campaign
headquarters in Brooklyn, largely focused on fielding calls from
Republicans interested in giving money and helping with fundraising. A
more formal effort will launch soon, focusing on wooing uneasy GOP
voters at the national and state level.
This
week, Clinton picked up the backing of Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO
and Republican fundraiser Meg Whitman and New York Rep. Richard Hanna,
the first Republican House member to back her. Clinton herself reached
out to Whitman, her campaign said, and campaign chairman John Podesta is
also involved in GOP outreach.
Former
New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, a Republican, said she was not
ready to back Clinton, but said she would not be supporting Trump. She
said: "I knew him when I was governor. What's going on is who he is. He
is not going to change behavior."
Republicans
doubt the effort will gain traction. Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the
Iowa Republican Party, noted Clinton's high negatives, saying said he
didn't think she had "a prayer with Republicans."
But
some longtime GOP voters appear persuadable, such as Don Campbell,
executive director of the National Electrical Contractors Association,
and a Republican who's backing Clinton.
"I've
never seen anything like this in my life," said Campbell, who met
Clinton when she toured a Las Vegas electric company Thursday. "It's
because of what comes out of his mouth and there are a lot of people who
are making the same decision."
Clinton's
campaign doesn't anticipate a mass movement of what they call "common
sense Republican" voters or elected officials to her candidacy,
according to a pair of aides. They spoke on condition of anonymity,
because they were not authorized to publicly discuss campaign strategy.
Rather,
the target is moderates, particularly women, in the crucial swing
counties surrounding cities such as Richmond, Virginia, Columbus, Ohio,
and Philadelphia.
Jennifer
Pierotti Lim, who heads a group called Republican Women for Hillary,
said they have heard from nearly 100 women since the party conventions
concluded. "I think Trump doubling down on these things gives people an
extra push to come forward," she said.
The
campaign feels bullish about its standing in the more diverse
battleground states including Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada
and Virginia, the aides said. They believe the outreach also could help
in whiter, Rust Belt states where the race appears close.
Senate
Minority Leader Harry Reid predicted that Clinton would have
opportunities to pick up support in some traditionally Republican
states, including Arizona, Georgia and possibly Utah. Clinton's campaign
and her allies have paused some of their advertising in Virginia and
Colorado, a sign of confidence in those key battleground states.
The
outreach effort is not limited to her campaign: Allies at Priorities
USA, a super PAC supporting her bid, have begun airing an ad in swing
states featuring footage of Romney and other Republicans expressing
their concerns about Trump's experience and temperament.
Trump
is making no such effort to woo Democrats. The centerpieces of his
performance at his rallies have largely remained identical to that of
early this year, with little outreach to undecided voters or
independents. Republican strategists say Trump's devotion to his message
and penchant for controversy have affected his campaign's ability to
effectively attack Clinton.
___
Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report from Ashburn, Virginia.
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