Elizabeth Warren’s Campaign Had To Move Rally To Bigger Venue Because Of Expected Mass Turnout
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her presidential campaign staff experienced a problem this week that any political candidate would be more than happy to face.
According to The Hill, the Massachusetts senator and 2020 Democratic hopeful had to move her “Seattle Town Hall” campaign rally in Seattle, Washington on Sunday from the 7,000 capacity WaMu Theater to the larger International Fountain at Seattle Center, which holds 15,000 people.
According to The Seattle Times, her campaign released a statement just days before the rally was to take place, saying, “To accommodate all of our guests we’ll be moving the location of the town hall.”
The candidate’s campaign confirmed on Sunday that 15,000 people showed up to the rally in support of Warren’s presidential ambitions and said that it was the largest campaign event to date. The event is also her first in the state of Washington. The senator is also the first top-tier Democratic candidate to hold a public rally in Seattle.
The line for the opportunity to take a selfie with the presidential hopeful, which is something she usually offers at her town hall rally events, was also extremely long. USA Today reported that Warren makes the selfie experience a cornerstone of her rallies, with an estimated 35,000 taken with supporters as of July.
She pushes the selfie experience as a contrast to other candidates, essentially explaining that she would rather take pictures with working-class Americans than hang out in back rooms with wealthy campaign donors.
She told her supporters at a Chicago town hall earlier this year that some of her opponents were spending time with “people who are real enthusiastic: millionaires who can write big checks,” before inviting the crowd of 3,600 to stay after the rally to grab a picture. She spent three hours taking photos with fans and on that night is when she crossed the 35,000 selfie mark.
Interestingly enough, that happened to be on the same evening that frontrunner and former vice president Joe Biden held fundraisers at the homes of some of his wealthiest backers.
Watch out Joe Biden: 15,000 reportedly on hand to hear Elizabeth Warren in Seattle https://t.co/gqgZnT2pGp
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 25, 2019
In recent weeks, Warren has also enjoyed larger-than-usual rallies. A rally last week in St. Paul, Minnesota reportedly drew 12,000 supporters, according to The Hill. Her supporters began lining up several hours before the rally was to take place, similar to what happens at rallies for President Donald Trump.
Warren has enjoyed an impressive uptick in her polling numbers as of late. From week-to-week, she battles with progressive opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders for the second-place position behind Biden.
Currently, she sits in third-place at 15.4 percent, according to the average polling numbers on Real Clear Politics.
