Lining Up for Clinton Experience

Candidate Speaks to a Younger Crowd at Washington-Lee

Sarah Moser and Elena Zarabozo attend Sidwell Friends School in the District. But the two didn't hesitate to skip class last week so they could crowd into a stuffy high school gym in Arlington.

Their aim? To get a close look at the woman they hope will be the next president.

"I'm a big supporter of Hillary. I love how she speaks so well, and in the debates, she's obviously the one who knows what she's talking about," said Moser, 17, a senior who lives in Falls Church.

Moser and Zarabozo were among about 2,000 people who filled the bleachers last Thursday for a Hillary Rodham Clinton rally at Washington-Lee High School, Clinton's first appearance in Virginia before Tuesday's regional primary.

Hundreds of students, who had only morning classes because of teacher training, chose to attend the event, even though they had to leave the school and then re-enter through three metal detectors. Many supported Clinton and gladly accepted the "Hillary" placards and stickers that campaign staffers handed them as they entered the school's gymnasium. Others just wanted to experience the event.

"They said this is a powerful election that's the beginning of something new, so I wanted to be a part of it in any way I could," said David Carter, 16, referring to his teachers. Carter, a junior, won't be able to vote in the general election, but he said he and his friends discuss politics and the presidential candidates over lunch.

Troy Riemer, a 17-year-old junior, also won't be able to vote. Even though he prefers Barack Obama, Clinton's opponent in the Democratic primaries, Riemer was in the bleachers.

"I just wanted to see the different sides," he said. "I'm not really a big fan of Hillary, but it's always good to get all angles."

Clinton arrived nearly 2 1/2 hours late, and she apologized as she took to the platform alongside Arlington Sheriff Beth Arthur, who introduced her. Behind them was a bleacher full of students and a backdrop of an enormous American flag.

The crowd responded enthusiastically, with most students cheering and clapping. A few teenagers fiddled with their cellphones. At least one student in the bleachers directly behind Clinton took the opportunity to chat on her phone during part of the candidate's 40-minute speech.

Clinton touched on key campaign issues, while mentioning Obama's name only once. Her pledge to commission a plan to withdraw U.S. forces in Iraq earned her a big cheer. As did her vow to revive the economy. But the biggest cheers in the student-dominated crowd came when the New York senator promised to promote renewable energy.

A sizable number of women who were middle-aged or older also were in the crowd. Even as many younger audience members began to sit down as the event wound on, many of the older women remained on their feet the entire time.

"It's exciting to see the excitement she's getting -- not just from women my age, but from young voters," said Beverly Coney of Falls Church, who worked in the presidential administration of the senator's husband and on his first gubernatorial campaign in 1978. "I don't think Obama has the young vote locked up."

Zarabozo agrees. The 17-year-old, who lives in the District, said she decided to vote for Clinton about two weeks ago, after she attended the Obama rally at American University during which Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) announced his endorsement of the Illinois senator.

"I kind of don't like how he thinks one word -- 'change' -- should be his running point," Zarabozo said. She said she likes Clinton's smarts, realism and the way she has dealt with opponents.

But Zarabozo, too, is a realist. She said that the vast majority of her classmates at Sidwell -- "where Chelsea Clinton went," she said with pride -- are Obama fans.

Moser said she understands the appeal of change and is confident that Clinton would bring change, too.

"We're so behind the times, not having a female leader," she said. "Having the first woman president, it'd be a big change and a big deal."

At the close of her speech, Clinton made an appeal to the audience.

"If you will help me, together we can make history," she said as the song "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by the Police reverberated through the gym.

Then she worked a rope line of supporters eight or nine deep. Even as most of the crowd left, a mass of the most fervent fans remained, reaching out for handshakes, autographs and photographs. Zarabozo's Facebook profile picture was soon changed to a photograph taken with the candidate.

Jennifer Burpoe, 17, said the event was amazing, although she still will vote for Obama.

"I think they loved her," she said. "Everyone was excited to see Hillary. It was an experience."