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'She's also a patriot, and I think that's what we need right now': Elizabeth Warren rally attendees share the key reasons they're supporting her for president

Aug 23, 2019, 19:15 IST

Lauren Frias/Business Insider

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  • Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren appeared at her 127th town hall in Los Angeles Wednesday evening before an estimated 4,000-person audience
  • She laid out her three-point plan - part one, address the corruption in the government; part two, make structural changes to the economy; and part three, protecting our democracy.
  • We talked to six attendees at the Warren town hall to hear their thoughts on the presidential hopeful.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Before a crowd armed with posters reading "California for Warren" and "Dream Big, Fight Hard," presidential candidate and Sen. Elizabeth Warren appeared in Los Angeles Wednesday evening at her 127th town hall.

The Massachusetts senator was joined by several members of her family. Her 14-year-old granddaughter, who refers to Warren as "Gammy," introduced her on stage.

Warren addressed a wide variety of issues at the heart of her campaign, including universal health care and child care, free tuition for public colleges, and her proposed wealth tax and how the allocated funds will be distributed to different causes like canceling student loan debt, because - of course - she's got "a plan for that."

Read more: Here's the psychological reason Elizabeth Warren's speeches leave you feeling goosebumps

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She laid out her three-point plan to the estimated 4,000-person audience: part one, address the corruption in the government; part two, make structural changes to the economy; and part three, protect our democracy.

The Democratic candidate said that she wasn't too concerned on winning the favor of big businesses in the US, in response to an audience member's question; rather she wants to focus on policies that impact a bigger share of the country.

"The way I am going to do this is person-to-person, face-to-face ... because I believe that that is the way that we will win in November 2020," Warren said to the audience, "and that we will start to make big structural change in January 2021."

We talked to six attendees at the Warren town hall to hear their thoughts on the presidential hopeful:

Ashley Stauber, of Alhambra

A long-time fan of Warren and previous educator herself, Ashley Stauber, of Alhambra, California, said that she believes that the senator "seems like someone who actually cares about each individual American, but thinks in this bigger broader way that helps the country as a whole."

Stauber said she thinks that Warren's background as an educator benefits her outlook as a candidate because she is well-informed on things that matter to Americans.

"She knows the ins and outs of everything really well, which is such an educator-background thing to have," Stauber said. "So I just trust that she's here for the right reasons, and will actually fight for all of us and not in her own personal interest."

Manuel Negrete, of Los Angeles

Manuel Negrete, a veteran from the Los Angeles area, said that he resonates with Warren and her policies because they appeal to the masses.

"She has a plan for everything, and I like that assertiveness," Negrete said. "I might not agree with everything, or the way she's presenting it, but at least she has a plan and is definitely there to bring America back together."

Negrete said that he admires that Warren's policies are progressive, but don't push the envelope too much fellow 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

He also said that he believes that she would be a great running mate for former Vice President Joe Biden, which he said would be his "dream ticket." Though, if Biden and Warren were not to appear on the ballot, Negrete said that he would vote for whoever wins the Democratic nomination.

"Whoever the [Democratic] nomination, I'm going to vote against Trump," he said.

Cynthia Estebes, of Los Angeles

Cynthia Estebes, of Los Angeles, said that she is torn between Warren and 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris of California, for whom she also attended a campaign rally.

Her draw to Warren comes mainly based on her "advocacy and outspokenness on racial issues," Estebes said.

"I think she's really unique in the way that she addresses how pervasive our racial tensions are and the systematic problems that are in our institutions," Estebes said. "I think she's been great about promoting plans as to how to tackle those problems in a way that other candidates I don't think have done."

Estebes said that some people may perceive Warren as "weak," given that she is a woman, but she believes that the senator will still prevail nonetheless.

"She may have an uphill battle, but I don't think it'd be one she would lose," Estebes said.

Brian Hennessy, of North Hollywood

Brian Hennessy of North Hollywood, California, said that he came out to Warren's town hall to see and hear her in person.

While he doesn't know just yet who he wants to vote for the primary, he said he does see a number of high quality candidates in the Democratic pool, including the Massachusetts senator.

"I like her aggressiveness and wanting to go after the Republicans," Hennessy said. "I think she is one of the few candidates who's putting the plans out there and has the numbers to back up where the money's going to come from to pay for a lot of it, so she sounds credible."

Out of all of Warren's plans, Hennessy said he would like to see her execute her universal health care plan first.

"I think that's something that would help everybody and that would help the economy," he said. "That would be number one for me."

Robert O'Hare, of Los Angeles

Robert O'Hare, a teacher from the Los Angeles area, said that he resonates with Warren because of her matter-of-fact demeanor, stemming from her previous days as an educator.

"She's got that 'here are the facts, here's how this adds up' thing going, and it clicks with me," O'Hare said.

O'Hare also said that he admires that Warren is a patriot, and thinks that is the kind of mentality needed in a president.

"She's also a patriot, and I think that's what we need right now," O'Hare said. "More than anything else, we need a patriot."

While O'Hare believes that Warren has already "withstood a lot of conservative craziness," he said that he believes the worst is yet to come. He said he was surrounded by strong women growing up, including his mother and sisters, and he sees those same qualities in Warren.

"We've got a very dynamic leader, and I feel like her time has come," he said.

Jennifer Jackson, of Los Angeles

Jennifer Jackson, of Los Angeles, said she commends Warren for having a "plan for that" because it shows how organized her campaign is and her preparedness to go into th fray head-on.

"She's organized, she was out early," Jackson said. "She just seems ready to tackle the problems that we're facing."

Alongside Warren's universal health care proposal, Jackson said she is particularly a fan of the senator's proposed wealth tax as well.

"I'm really a fan of her two-cent tax that she described in great detail today because ... the distribution of wealth is so out of whack right now," she said. "The wealth of so few could be doing such good for so many, and it's exciting to hear somebody talk about that and ... drawing up what sounds like realistic plans on what to do with that money."

While some may believe that Warren will experience difficulties in her campaign as a women, Jackson urges people to remember that in 2016, former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the popular vote.

"People in 2016 believed that a woman should be president," Jackson said. "I think there's an easy way for a lot of people to stay comfortable and keep things the way they've been, but I think it's time for change, real change."

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