Clinton: I want to give voters something to vote for, not against

by Ben Kamisar - 09/15/16 5:16 PM ET

Hillary Clinton sought to pitch a positive view of her candidacy on Thursday as she looks to break away from criticism that her campaign is a referendum against Donald Trump.

“I want to give Americans something to vote for, not just against,” she said to reporters after a rally in Greensboro, N.C.

{mosads}”With all the noise and distraction, it’s important to focus on what really matters and the real choice in this election,” the Democratic nominee said before taking questions from reporters.

The comment builds on Clinton’s theme from her speech just a few minutes prior. In her first public speech after her pneumonia forced her to leave the campaign trail, she said her illness allowed her to “reconnect” with why she’s running.

She tried to contrast Trump rhetoric with Clinton action over the years, particularly concerning children.

To do so, she returned to similar themes from her convention speech, noting her attention to detail and her devotion to policy, using an example of a woman at the rally who gained health insurance for her deaf daughter Sarah under the children’s health insurance plan Clinton fought for as first lady.

“I confess, I’ll never be the showman my opponent is and that’s OK with me. Just look at the show he put on with Dr. Oz today,” she said, noting Trump’s television appearance where he shared some medical information.

“But I am going to deliver for you and your family just like I did for Sarah all those years ago with the Children’s Health Insurance Program.”

The tack comes as polls continue to tighten in the race between the two historically unpopular candidates.

Just 43 percent of Clinton’s supporters said they were excited to vote for her, compared to 50 percent of Trump supporters excited to back their candidate, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll released Thursday.

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton