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Samantha Martin

The outside of the Cumberland County Democratic Party Headquarters

The sweltering heat did nothing to stop the fire burning inside of Clinton supporters as they waited to hear Chelsea Clinton speak at the Cumberland County Democratic Headquarters, located at 25 West High Street, on Wednesday, September 7th.

One hundred and fifty Pennsylvania Clinton supporters congregated inside the small office, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Chelsea Clinton and the speech she was making in support of her mother, Hillary Clinton. Another hundred people stood in line outside the office, waiting for a chance to see Chelsea and purchase memorabilia from the merchandise table outside.

A few minutes after one o’clock, after everyone who could fit inside the building was ushered inside, disabled rights activist Anastasia Somoza, who has cerebral palsy and famously pleaded with President Bill Clinton in 1993 to allow her nonverbal sister to attend classes with her, took the stage. She spoke of why she supported Hillary Clinton in her race for the presidency.

“The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would not be what it is today if not for Hillary Clinton’s tireless advocacy, and that goes for the other major piece of legislation supporting the rights of people with disabilities, which is the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Somoza said about Hillary. “I am thrilled to be here and share how much she really, truly cares.”

After speaking for a few minutes, Somoza then introduced Chelsea, who arrived onstage to voluminous applause.

Clinton took a moment to gather more applause for Somoza, and then began to speak. In her speech, which lasted about ten minutes, Chelsea spoke of her mother’s positions on women’s health and gun control, two issues that have sparked plenty of controversy throughout the election cycle.However, throughout the speech, it was obvious what was most important to Chelsea, a mother of two: the treatment of children, and the idea that the United States must be a better place for children to grow up in.

“I am so proud of my mom for staying focused on what this election is actually about,” Chelsea said in her speech. “And it’s actually about ensuring that every child has the opportunities that Anastasia has had, and that we live in a country that is safe enough and secure enough to ensure that that can happen.”

Chelsea also had a message for young people who are voting for the first time this election.

”I hope you’re all going to register by October 11th, and I say that because I think that those of us in this room who are already paying attention to the election tend to take for granted that people we know are registered to vote,” said Chelsea.

“But if you think about your demographic, and we think just about 55% of 18 to 24 year olds are registered to vote, so that means that 45% aren’t, so that means that odds are probably pretty good that you know someone who isn’t registered yet. So I hope the first is that you encourage everyone to get registered to vote, because if they don’t register by October 11th, they can’t wake up and decide that they want to vote on Election Day in November.”