Well, they don’t call it the “Secret” Service for nothing.
On May 10th former President Bill Clinton made a visit to Rapid City, SD—a visit that wasn’t announced until late on the afternoon of May 9th. This last minute visit was to help campaign for his wife, in a move that some say is in response to Barack Obama’s opening of his Rapid City office.
Former President Clinton held his rally at Steven’s High School where the expected turnout was only about 500 people; the actual turnout was much larger than that though.
"I think he got a warm reception," Amy Young, a Clinton supporter from Rapid City commented.
South Dakota is a mostly Republican state, especially on the “West River” side of the state, so the fact that the Democrats are campaigning so hard West River is kind of surprising, but seeming to be effective.
The warm reception and large turnout was unexpected not only because of the state’s political views but also due to the secretiveness of the visit. The rally did prove however, that the times are changing here in South Dakota with many South Dakotans feeling that it is time for a change—meaning time to have some Democratic blood in the White House—preferably Hillary Clinton, but most said they would settle for either Clinton or Obama just as long as it wasn’t a Republican.
"I like a lot of things about Obama, but I think Hillary is really strong," Barbra Gailiano of Black Hawk, SD said. "I think she's got a lot of knowledge about how government works in Washington, and I'm thinking she might be a little bit more effective."
"I'm just tired of Republicans. I'm paying too much fuel for my car right now," said Danny Keffeler, a Democrat from Sturgis, SD. "Can't have oilmen in the White House, that's all I can say, unless you want high gas prices."
What the general consensus seemed to be at Saturday’s event was that no matter what, a Democrat—whether it be Clinton or Obama—is still better than a Republican.