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Call it the subway series of the Democratic presidential primary.

It took Hillary Clinton a few swipes (five, to be precise, but who’s counting?) of her MetroCard to go through the turnstile at 161st Street in the Bronx on Thursday, but at least she knew that the New York City subway no longer accepts tokens.

“It was my first term when we changed from tokens to MetroCards,” Mrs. Clinton said to a crush of reporters as she hopped on the uptown No. 4 train two stops to 170th Street.

The comment struck some as deft transit trolling of Senator Bernie Sanders, who days earlier told The Daily News he rode the subway. “I know how to ride the subways,” the Brooklyn-born senator from Vermont told the newspaper. Asked how he rides the subway, Mr. Sanders responded: “What do you mean, ‘How do you ride the subway?’ You get a token and you get in.”

“Wrong,” The Daily News replied.

Mrs. Clinton, who was accompanied by Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, and an entourage of security and staff members, said it had probably been “a couple years” since she rode the subway. “It was probably after I got out of being secretary of state,” she said.

While some passengers kept their earphones on and went about their daily commute, others scrambled to shake hands with Mrs. Clinton, who typically resides north of New York City in the suburb of Chappaqua.

Proving she is more of a politician than a New Yorker, Mrs. Clinton heaped praise on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the source of constant complaints and home to rats so hearty they can carry full slices of pizza on their backs. “I love it because it’s so convenient,” Mrs. Clinton said. “It’s by far the biggest transit system in the world.”

Her reception was warmer than the one Senator Ted Cruz, of Texas (of all places), received. Protesters booed and hissed as if he were the Red Sox when Mr. Cruz, known for his knocks on “New York values” during the presidential campaign, arrived in the Bronx on Wednesday night.

Splashed across the cover of The Daily News on Thursday was a photo of Mr. Cruz and his wife, Heidi, looking like tourists who made eye contact with the wrong pedestrian. “Honey, how do we get out of the Bronx?” part of the headline read.

Remember, though, that this is the New York City subway, not a diner in Waterloo, Iowa, and even Mrs. Clinton had a hard time shaking hands.

“Hello sweetheart, what’s your name?” she said, leaning toward a 9-month-old, who, like any native, nonchalantly continued to suck on her bottle. “Say hi, mami,” her father instructed the little girl.

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