Bennet touts his purple state appeal to voters in Dublin

Presidential hopeful Michael Bennet touted his appeal to voters in “purple” states during a town hall meeting at the Dublin Community Center Sunday afternoon.

The U.S. Senator for Colorado said he is the only candidate in the race that has won two national elections in a swing state.

“My agenda is an agenda that I’ve developed over the course of a decade in the Senate working for the purple state of Colorado,” he told the Ledger-Transcript after the town hall. “I think it’s one that I can defend with independent voters and even some Republican voters.”

During the town hall, Jill Schaffer Hammond of Harrisville told Bennet she has been very frustrated by the back and forth debate over which direction health care should move and asked him for his position. Bennet said nothing is going to get fixed if Medicare for All or nothing at all is the option candidates present voters and continue to fight over.

“I don’t think we should spend the next 10 years fighting a losing battle for Medicare for All,” Bennet said. “I don’t think the American People are in the mood to pay $31 trillion more in taxes for the privilege to be giving up their choice in private insurance. … I’d rather spend the next ten years … fighting to end childhood poverty in this country. Create universal healthcare like it is elsewhere. Lower costs in ways, we can talk about insurance and deal with climate change, deal with immigration. These are things that we can’t do if we are rallying behind Bernie and and Elizabeth’s ideological commitment to Medicare for All. I understand it. I even understand if we had no system in place. But we do have a system in place and I think there’s a way to build on it smartly and make lives better.”

Tom Wahle of Mont Vernon man asked Bennet how he expects to win, with so little name recognition and the New Hampshire primary taking place next week.

“When we were coming here, we were asking a friend to come and see you and he said, ‘Who’s that?’ It’s coming up pretty soon. Just curious. What’s the plan?”

Bennet drew a big laugh from the crowd when he responded, “You’re part of the plan.”

Bennet admitted he started the race later than other candidates, but said he has been in New Hampshire more than any other candidate. “And I think it’s beginning to make a difference,” he said, saying he hears stories like Wahle’s less and less. “My plan is New Hampshire. That’s why I’m here.”

After the town hall Wahle said he was undecided, but was looking for a moderate and said Bennet had won his vote that afternoon. “I’m looking for, who-can-beat-Donald Trump,” he said. “He can beat him if he can get some support here.”

Wahle said the Democratic nominee must have appeal in the Midwest.

“I’m from Missouri originally and I know my entire family voted for Trump,” Wahle said. “None of them like Trump, but between Trump and Hillary Clinton they went with Trump. And I’m afraid if it’s Elizabeth Warren they are going to go with Trump. If it’s Bernie Sanders they are going to go with Trump.”