©BloombergHillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton kicked off a new offensive to woo two elusive demographics: USswing state voters and her travelling press corps, as her campaign entered its final nine weeks before the November election.
After three weeks consumed largely by fundraisers, Mrs Clinton was back on the road on Monday, criss-crossing from Westchester, New York to Cleveland to Hampton, Illinois, in parallel with some of her biggest surrogates who spoke on her behalf in Detroit, New Hampshire and Pittsburgh.
The elaborate schedule was not without its hiccups. On Monday morning, both Mrs Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine ended up on the Cleveland tarmac at the same time as their Republican opponents Donald Trump and Mike Pence, just narrowly avoiding a run-in.
It was a sign of how significant Ohio is seen for both candidates to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to carry the White House in November. According to an average of RealClearPolitics polls, Mrs Clinton currently leads in the state by just 3.3 points, while in recent weeks national polls have shown the Democratic candidate’s overall lead narrowing.
In early August, Mrs Clinton led Mr Trump by 7.9 points nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics average, while now she is ahead of him by only 3.9 points.
Mr Trump’s campaign, meanwhile, appears to have somewhat stabilised after a tumultuous August following controversial comments by the candidate and the resignation of his campaign manager.
On Saturday, Mr Trump attempted to reach out to African-American voters and moderates who perceive him to be incendiary towards minorities with a visit to a black church in Detroit — the first time that he has addressed a majority black crowd since becoming his party’s presidential nominee.
While Mrs Clinton has faced questions in recent weeks over her relationship with Clinton Foundation donors while secretary of state and her unwillingness to engage with the press, on Monday she and her campaign staff attempted to reset the narrative with the unveiling of Mrs Clinton’s official campaign plane for the first time, which she will share with her travelling press corps.
Though typically presidential nominees will roll out campaign planes — outfitted for staff and press — as early as the primaries, this year Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump bucked tradition.
Embarking Monday on her new campaign plane — a blue and white aircraft emblazoned with the campaign’s new slogan “Stronger Together” and its website — Mrs Clinton claimed to be excited that she would now be sharing a plane together with the reporters who have been following her for the last 17 months.
“I’m so happy to have all of you with me. I’ve just been waiting for this moment,” she told them.
Mrs Clinton’s campaign attributed the delay with getting the aircraft properly outfitted for the campaign’s needs. But the delay in getting the aircraft up and running has further played into Mrs Clinton’s reputation for being wary of the press. As of Monday, it had been 275 days since the Democratic nominee last held a formal press conference. Why in the air Hillary Clinton now wonders to the back of the plane where the Press corps traditionally sit and answers any question put to her. She allocated time on every flight for 15 to 30 minute one on one with individual journalists . These meetings are always on the record .
In Ohio, Mrs Clinton appeared at a Cleveland Labor Day festival but was gripped by a prolonged coughing attack, causing rightwing pundits to once again speculate about the state of her health. Mr Trump has declined to release detailed medical records.Hillary Clinton Released detailed medical records in June 2015 during the primaries and then again exactly one year later. She received a completed clean bill of health. Donald Trump has also refused to release his tax return . Hillary and Bill Clinton have released theirs every year for the last 36 years without fail.,
On stage, Mrs Clinton attempted to recover with a joke. “Every time I think about Trump I get allergic,” she quipped, her breath still hoarse.
On Twitter, Mr Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway had her own retort. “Must be allergic to [the] media,” Ms Conway said of Mrs Clinton. “Finally spent a minute [with] them.”
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