Clinton: Trump 'threatens democracy' by not accepting election results

Jessie Balmert | The Cincinnati Enquirer

CLEVELAND — Hillary Clinton said Friday that Donald Trump is threatening America’s democracy by not promising to accept the results of the presidential election.

“We know, in our country, the difference between leadership and dictatorship. And the peaceful transition of power is something that sets us apart,” Clinton told a crowd of about 1,600 at the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.

In the final debate Wednesday between the two presidential candidates, Trump said he would keep everyone "in suspense" on whether he would accept the results of the Nov. 8 vote. He is reserving the right to challenge the outcome if he loses and feels the election was "rigged."

"I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election," Trump said Thursday. “If I win."

This week, both Clinton and Trump reached out to their core Ohio voters: Clinton in Cleveland's Cuyahoga County — a Democratic stronghold — and Trump in the deep-red Delaware County. Put simply, these were not undecided voters, or as Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson put it, "We’re all preaching to the choir here.”

Clinton was appealing to two groups in Cleveland that helped elect President Obama in 2008 and 2012: young voters and African-American voters. But she also had message to frustrated or angry Ohioans considering a vote for Trump: "I think anger is not a plan."

While Clinton is pulling ahead in many national polls, Ohio remains a tight race. Both candidates are among the least-liked in recent history, and voters have questioned Clinton's trustworthiness after the FBI admonished her private email server and WikiLeaks revealed details from her paid speeches. Both candidates need their biggest fans to vote, especially if some apathetic Ohioans sit this election out.

Clinton's fans include Stefanie Williams of Canfield, who attended grade school with Chelsea Clinton. Canfield once invited Hillary Clinton, then first lady of Arkansas, to show-and-tell.

"I got a great score. It was an 'A,'" said Williams, who moved to Ohio four years ago. "From that moment on, she's been a big deal to me."

Before the rally, Clinton met with African-American activists Brittany Packnett and DeRay Mckesson. Packnett initially expressed concerns that Clinton wasn't connecting with young black voters, but now supports Clinton. She told Elle that Clinton was the best person to continue Obama's steps toward equality.

That's a compelling argument for Obama supporters like Jovan Cardoso of Cleveland Heights. She saw the president last week when he visited Cleveland.

"It was amazing. I remember being in high school and watching (Obama) on TV. I couldn't vote then, but he was an inspiration," said Cardoso, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University.

Republicans were less impressed by Clinton's efforts in Cleveland.

"Hillary Clinton panders in Cleveland for election year support from the same urban communities that her policies have failed for generations, while she blames local police for the problems in our inner cities," said Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, in a statement.