By Beth LeBlanc

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State University students and Lansing-area residents got a little dose of celebrity with their politics Monday.

Crowds of people packed the ballroom at the MSU Student Union to listen to Cher stump for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The musician and actress told the crowd stories from her youth and of her encounters with Clinton, and her hopes for the country. She also urged young voters to hit the polls on Nov. 8.

“As women we have gone through so much, so the idea of having a woman president … it's long in coming and it’s a great thing,” Cher said.

“It’s not just a great idea because of Hillary, it’s a great idea because of our daughters being able to realize that there is a ceiling that’s been broken through and any one of them could be president.”

Cher shared stories of meeting with Clinton over tea and backstage at a speaking event, when she addressed her as "my president."

“I’ve known Hillary for a long time and I know she’s not perfect, but I like her,” she said.

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Cher also used the opportunity at MSU Monday to throw jabs at Donald Trump, who had finished a campaign stop in Grand Rapids shortly before the MSU rally. She said she’d like people to live a better life than the one that Trump wants for them.

She said she also understood Trump supporters who feel “dejected” because of the loss of a job or the loss of their homes.

“I believe that we have to fold these people into a big tent and show them that we’re not discounting them, that we don’t hate them,” she said. “We hate him, but we don’t hate them.”

Carli Bushell, a 19-year-old sophomore at MSU, said she’s voting for Clinton on Nov. 8 because of Clinton’s views on criminal justice reform and abortion.

Bushell, a criminal justice major, said the event Monday gave her a chance to be with others supporting the candidate.

“She’s really funny and she kind of raised the atmosphere,” Bushell said. “The atmosphere was really light.”

Carol Swinehart of East Lansing said she was happy to be around young people as excited as she was about the Democratic candidate.

“I love that vibe,” the 76-year-old woman said.

Ingham County Prosecutor Gretchen Whitmer introduced Cher and Suzanna Shkreli, the Democratic candidate for the 8th Congressional District, also attended. Both women urged voters to visit the polls Nov. 8.

"Our work is not complete until every vote is cast next Tuesday," Whitmer said.

Contact Beth LeBlanc at (517) 377-1167, eleblanc@gannett.com, or on Twitter @LSJBethLeBlanc.