Former President Bill Clinton is putting in overtime campaigning for his wife in the days leading up to Tuesday’s California primary, even more so than Hillary Clinton herself.
“It’s been, really, all hands on deck for the Clintons here in California in this final sprint and it’s actually put Bill Clinton out on the trail even more frequently than his wife,” MSNBC political correspondent Kasie Hunt told Morning Joe.
Hunt followed the “big dog” on the campaign trail over the weekend as he “gets more comfortable on a smaller stage” with stops in Compton, Los Gatos, Los Angeles and other locations.
Hunt compared Bill Clinton’s campaign tactics this year with his efforts to elect his wife president in 2008 in which he repeatedly criticized then Senator Obama. Bill Clinton’s focus in 2016 has remained more fixed on his wife, utilizing a smaller staff at smaller events, such as a jam session with a band in North Dakota, rum tasting in Puerto Rico, and a very small event at his namesake school in Compton on Saturday.
“This year, he has campaigned for his wife more than 400 times in 40 states, and he’s kept it almost all about her,” Hunt said. “His entourage is smaller, and so are his events.”
A list of scheduled events on at HillarySpeeches.com confirms Bill Clinton appears to be outworking his wife on the campaign trail with eight events scheduled between June 5 and June 15 versus Hillary Clinton’s seven scheduled events.
Today, for example, Hillary is scheduled for stops at Lynwood, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, California. Bill Clinton, meanwhile, will stop at Hayward, Oakland, Antioch, Richmond and San Francisco, according to the site.
The Clintons are also hosting a concert this evening with Christina Aguilera, Andra Day, John Legend, Ricky Martin and Stevie Wonder in Los Angeles.
Bill Clinton told MSNBC he believe his wife’s challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, will be “toast” after the California primary on Tuesday and implied Sanders and his supporters should prepare to back his wife for the general election.
“He made the point that he and Hillary Clinton campaigned hard for Barack Obama in 2008 after she lost, sort of suggesting where he thinks Bernie Sanders should go from here,” Hunt said.
Bill Clinton’s relentless campaigning comes as his brother, Roger Clinton, spent Sunday night in jail after an arrest in Renondo Beach for suspicion of drunken driving, the Associated Press reports.
Roger Clinton is expected in court to face the charge today, the day before the California Democratic primary.
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