PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Here inside a gymnasium on the ironically named Corporate Drive, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders rallied more than 1,000 people on Sunday afternoon, speaking out against the evils of corporate America and promising free public college education.
But — just hours before the New Hampshire primary — the self-described democratic socialist garnered some of the loudest applause of the afternoon by reminding voters of rival Hillary Clinton’s vote to authorize the war in Iraq. It was the only time Sanders mentioned Clinton’s name directly, though he also alluded to some of her past high-paid speeches.
“Lately, I’ve been lectured on foreign policy,” Sanders said to laughs from the crowd. “The most important foreign policy issue in the modern history of this country was the war in Iraq. I was right on that issue. Hillary Clinton was wrong.”
Clinton’s vote for the war was used against her to success by Barack Obama in the 2008 campaign.
Michael Fischer, an associate vice president of Great Bay Community College, where the rally was held, estimated that there were 1,220 in attendance at the rally.
Sanders, who spoke with a raspy voice, appeared under the weather. He frequently took sips of water, coughed during applause lines and let out a deep exhale at the end of the near 45-minute long speech.
Sanders, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, is leading Clinton in New Hampshire by 13.2 points. During his rally on Sunday, the Vermont senator reminisced about the campaign, reminding people that he started at just 3 percent in some polls.