UPTOWN — Local politicians rounded up volunteers from Uptown this week for the Wednesday opening of Hillary Clinton's campaign phone bank in the 46th Ward.
At the helm was Ald. James Cappleman (46th) who slammed Clinton's opponent, Donald Trump, and his supporters, facetiously estimated that his ward had as few as 20-30 Republican voters. But the alderman asserted that phone bank at the KNI Communications office, 4802 N. Broadway #200, was still essential in swaying swing voters in other wards and outside Chicago.
"We are in a bubble. I can't even grasp why anyone in their right mind would be voting for Donald Trump, but that's dangerous thinking," said Cappleman. "There's so much at stake and we're going to have to work our a** off."
Other politicians making appearances at the new phone bank this week included U.S. Rep. Greg Harris (D-13), who stressed that every vote matters especially after the fallout from the Brexit vote, which allowed the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.
"Whatever you value in this country is really at stake," said Harris referencing Trump's stances to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, which would create a force to deport millions of immigrants, as well as Trump's stance on woman's rights. "With Hillary, the one thing we know is she has a long history and she has made her values clear."
Volunteers at the phone bank will reach out to people "the campaign asked us to reach out to," ask them to recommit to voting for Clinton and push to get more volunteers, said Abrar Quader, an attorney volunteering as Hillary For America's Illinois Muslim American Outreach Director.
Volunteers will meet every Monday and Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. until the election and are encouraged to bring cell phones, phone chargers and laptops, Quader said.
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