Former President Bill Clinton joined Ken-tucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on the Kentucky campaign trail briefly at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Veteran’s Riverfront Park in Ashland. A crowd of more than 800 people came out for the event while the two also brought along other Ken-tucky leaders.

Grimes rallied her supporters in by bring-ing up hot topics such as equal pay, new jobs and the possible threat of up to 500,000 people losing their health care. She said she believes, with her supporters standing be-hind her, together they can change Kentucky. “With your help and support, we will make it to the winner’s circle,” Grimes said. “We will have a brighter day for the people of Kentucky. You show up, the people of Ash-land, the A team, north-eastern Kentucky, you show up and we bring a win.”

Clinton continued to get Grimes’ sup-porters excited and optimistic about the elections coming up next week. He said to the Kentuckians the reason he was there was because of the decision the state has to make.

“You really have a big decision that af-fects you,” Clinton said. “Her opponent, he’s

been trying to confuse you. From the day she started running, Alison Lundergan Grimes, started with an economic plan to build this country and to build your state, to build

the commonwealth of Kentucky from the middle out and bottom up. To say no more trickle down.”

Clinton said he believes, while Kentucky’s economy hasn’t always been well off, he can see the changes that the town of Ashland has made since he visited nearly fifteen years earlier. He said he wants Kentucky families to have the same opportunities he had.

“I’m not mad. I lived to my 50th high school reunion,” Clinton said. “There’s been three generations in my family since a man has lived as long as I already have and I’m a grandfather. I’m happy. I’m worried because there are too many people today that don’t have the chances in life that I had.”

Mother and daughter, Luanne and Ramey

Eley, came out to the rally in hopes of giving Ramey a civics lesson because she’s home-schooled. Luanne said she sees Grimes’ attention to the Ashland as meaning she cares about the area. Ramey said that de-spite not being able to vote due to her age, she enjoyed seeing both sides of the political spectrum.

“Being here at a rally, you get to know the candidate,” Ramey said. “Not just what you see on the campaign ads.”

Paulina Shepherd can be contacted at [email protected].