Hillary Clinton Angers Iowa Supporters Who Waited Hours for a Five-Minute Speech

Hillary Clinton Angers Iowa Supporters Who Waited Hours for a Five-Minute Speech
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event in Burlington, Iowa, on Jan. 20. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Zachary Stieber
1/22/2016
Updated:
1/22/2016

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton left many Iowa supporters upset after only speaking to them for five minutes on Thursday night.

Clinton appeared in Iowa City at the University of Iowa just a day after a new poll showed Bernie Sanders leading her by eight points in the state.

The crowd of more than a thousand people, some of whom waited for more than an hour for the event, weren’t too happy about the short speech--despite a performance beforehand by pop star Demi Lovato.

“It was very short. There were a lot of statements. Like: ‘We are we going to make things happen.’ No actual how,” Jennifer Marks, 22, told the Guardian. “I just feel bad for the people who got here at five.”

“I was like: ‘Is this done already?’” added Maggie Dressel, 21. “It did seem pretty short.”

Clinton took the stage after Lovato performed three songs, but only spoke for five minutes. She thanked the audience for attending, encouraged them to vote for her, and slammed Bernie Sanders.

She did stick around to take pictures with people, but that wasn’t enough for some of the attendees.

“It was shorter than I expected,” said Nicole Hall, 21. “I’m not sure she said enough to convince me to vote for her.”

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, joined by musician Demi Lovato, right, speaks during a rally on the campus of University of Iowa Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, joined by musician Demi Lovato, right, speaks during a rally on the campus of University of Iowa Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

 

“I am leaning more towards Bernie,” Karly Sigmund, 19, told CNN.

Others are also undecided still. Emily Arvola, a senior elementary education major from Clinton, Iowa, said she’s “torn between her and Bernie.”

“The fact that she could be first woman president is so cool to me. It would be such a huge step,” she said. But of Sanders, she added: “He is just so passionate and I think the way he talks really just speaks to my age group. He is just so new.”

Some in the crowd did know they want to vote for Clinton. “She’s a really strong woman, and I’m really drawn to that,” said Stephanie Schulz, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student.