ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former President Bill Clinton tried to make a case Wednesday for why his wife is the best candidate for millennials struggling to get a foothold in the modern economy.
Bill Clinton spoke to more than 150 people at a recreation center here in suburban Washington, outlining much of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s platform, including her plan to reform the student loan system.
Despite healthy economic growth since the recession, he said some young Americans feel left out of the recovery.
“So many Americans look at that picture and can’t see themselves in it,” he said.
Hillary Clinton advocates a plan for college students to refinance loans, and moving over the longer term to debt-free college for four-year public university students..
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.,. introduced Clinton and took a quiet shot at Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Calling for free college and free healthcare is unrealistic, Connolly said, and such proposals t would never win bipartisan support on Capitol Hill..
“Have you met my Republican colleagues?” he said of the majority in Congress. “Government is about getting things done.”
The former president’s visit comes six days before Virginians choose between Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Sanders on March 1, also known as Super Tuesday. Virginia is one of 11 states holding a Democratic primary that day.
Clinton leads Sanders by 22 points in Virginia, according to a recent Public Policy Polling survey of 500 likely voters.
