Green Party leader calls Trump "sexual predator" at Houston stop

Green Party's presidential candidate Jill Stein took questions from the crowd at the end of her Last Concert Cafe campaign stop Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 in Houston. Green Party's presidential candidate Jill Stein took questions from the crowd at the end of her Last Concert Cafe campaign stop Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 in Houston. Photo: Keri Blakinger, Keri Blakinger/Houston Chronicle Photo: Keri Blakinger, Keri Blakinger/Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Green Party leader calls Trump "sexual predator" at Houston stop 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Donald Trump is an "incredible sexual predator" and Hillary Clinton an "economic predator," Jill Stein told dozens of enthusiastic supporters at a jam-packed speaking event Saturday at Houston's Last Concert Cafe.

The Green Party presidential nominee laid into her liberal competition, while panning the mainstream media and hitting on all her regular progressive talking points during her sweep across Texas.

"While Donald Trump has been revealed to be the incredible sexual predator that he is, it creates this smoke screen that makes Hillary Clinton look really good," she told the raucous crowd of more than 100 supporters. "The majority of Hillary's voters don't actually support Hillary — they oppose Donald Trump. Democracy is not a question of 'Who do we hate the most?' and "Who do wear fear the most?"

She called the Republicans a party of "hate and fear," but said Democrats are "the party of deportation, detention and night raids."

The cozy event kicked off with a DJ, an acoustic guitar player spontaneously pulled from the audience and an interactive painting activity that allowed supporters to leave their handprints on a Stein portrait.

"This is what democracy looks like," she said, to a chorus of cheers from her supporters.

She called for higher wage and green energy policies, describing Texas as an environmental "Wild West."

Referencing the state's diverse population, she touched on immigration issues. "It was the border that crossed the Latino community, the Latino community did not cross that border," she said.

Taking the stage just after a speaker who extolled the virtues of drug legalization that would make heroin available at the corner store, Stein called for a drastic change in drug policy.

"We need to end this war on drugs that has killed over 100,000 people in Mexico alone," she said, without offering much in the way of specifics.

She'll get a chance to offer more specifics on all her policies soon, though. The Massachusetts activist-doctor told her adoring supporters that Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has agreed to debate her - possibly as soon as Sunday night.

"We live in a democracy, we have more than two deadly choices," she reminded the cafe crowd. "It's time for us to stand up and reject the lesser evil and support the greater good."

Before Stein stepped on the stage, down-ballot candidates took to the mic to offer their positions on local issues.

Brian Harrison, a lawyer who's running for Texas House of Representatives in District 147, said he is running on four main issues: a $15 an hour minimum wage, universal health care, drug decriminalization and tenants' right.

"We have been voting for the lesser of two evils here for more than 30 years and the greater evil is getting worse and worse," he added.

Martina Salinas, who is in the race for Texas Railroad Commissioner, has worked in construction for years.

"There's been too many people with oil and gas ties in this commission," she said.

As the event wound down and crowds started filing out, Stein took the stage again for a question-and-answer session before finishing out the night with a group selfie, dozens of green-clad supporting raising their fists in joyous support.