Elizabeth Warren drew a packed crowd in Oakland on Friday night in her first trip to the Bay Area as a Democratic presidential candidate, garnering big applause with her part autobiographical, part policy stump speech.

“Here’s the deal: When you’ve got a government that works great for those with money, works great for those who can hire an army of lobbyists and lawyers, works great for those at the top, but isn’t working for the rest of the people, that is corruption pure and simple and we need to call it out,” the Massachusetts senator said.

A long line to see Warren formed hours before her appearance at Laney College, where her scheduled “town hall” speech was moved from a 2,000-seat gym to a soccer field that could hold a crowd that eventually totaled several thousand.

“I’m coming back to Oakland,” Warren said, declaring that this was her largest town hall to date out of 90 that she has held since becoming a candidate.

But after starting about an hour late, she also said she would not be taking questions as planned.

Warren kicked off with an autobiographical introduction, talking about her “momma” and “daddy” and brothers growing up in Oklahoma. She spoke about her mother getting a minimum-wage job to save their house after her father’s heart attack. She used her life story, including getting her degree and going to law school after being fired from teaching because she got pregnant, to weave in the rationale for her campaign.

“Today, a minimum-wage job will not keep a momma and a baby out of poverty, and that is why I am in this fight,” Warren said. “That difference is not an accident. ... That difference is about who government works for.”

Saying the 2020 election “will echo for generations,” Warren summed up her campaign as having three parts: “Attack the corruption, put a little different structure in this economy and protect our democracy.”

On a chilly night, the crowd remained attentive throughout the speech, with big cheers for applause lines such as, “Health care is a human right.”

Warren was introduced by Sonya Mehta, a former Oakland schoolteacher, who focused on the candidate’s cradle-to-college plans to pay for education. Warren followed up highlighting those plans, drawing applause for her proposal to tax the richest millionaires.

Plenty of voters in the crowd were excited about Warren, but still undecided months before the first primary votes will be cast.

Amy Neil, 55, a retiree from Albany, was first in line at the event, arriving at 1:30 p.m.

Neil says she is drawn to Warren because she has plans to fight the “structural inequities” in society and “can’t be corrupted.” She also liked that Warren is policy-driven.

She hasn’t made up her mind, she said — she also likes California Sen. Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. — but holds Warren in high regard and was looking forward to hearing from her.

Kai Levenson-Cupp, 16, a student from Alameda who will be voting for the first time in November 2020, said Warren is appealing but he remains undecided — wanting in particular to hear about LGBTQ issues and climate change.

“I’m going to be a first-time voter in 2020, so I believe it’s very important to see all the candidates in action and see all their stances on all the issues, and just get as much exposure to all of them as possible and be able to make an informed decision,” Levenson-Cupp said.

His classmate Sammy Zimmerman said she felt the same way and was also looking to hear about climate change. She’s leaning toward Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Also a first-time voter this election cycle, Zimmerman wants to hear more policy from candidates.

“I think in this campaign, a lot of people are running a lot of personality instead of what their actual policies and their actions have been in the past,” Zimmerman said.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicle’s Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan