Looking to close the deal in Albuquerque, Sen. John Kerry held a rally at Civic Plaza on Tuesday.
Gov. Bill Richardson, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Sen. Richard Romero joined Kerry onstage. Supporters gathered to hear the man they hope to see elected as the 44th President of the United States in just six days.
Gov. Richardson joked about the size of the crowd.
"I hear there are 18,000 people here - give or take a few thousand," he said.
Kerry touched on all of the major issues and didn't stray far from his familiar message. From Iraq to Social Security, Kerry made the differences between himself and President Bush clear.
"The president rushed to war without a plan to win the peace," Kerry said. "How can you fix the problems in Iraq if you don't admit they're there?"
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Kerry supporter Jennifer Trujillo said she wants change in order to spare American and Iraqi civilian lives.
"Too many young people are dying in Iraq for a lie," Trujillo said.
Not all of those in attendance supported the senator. UNM's College Republicans assembled on the southeast corner of the plaza. They chanted and waved "Viva Bush" signs.
"Kerry doesn't stand for anything," said Amanda Navarro, the College Republicans' press secretary. "He's inconsistent and will say anything to get elected."
Though the group didn't expect to change any minds, Navarro said a conservative viewpoint should be represented.
A Bush supporter got Kerry's attention midway through his speech.
"Listen," Kerry said. "Maybe you can learn something."
Kerry went on to say he could fight a more effective war on terror, while keeping his eye on the threat posed by al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
He said he could fix the Iraq problem by bringing together a coalition of nations devoted to sharing intelligence in order to prevent future attacks on U.S. soil.
Kerry also addressed concerns on the domestic front. He discussed his plan to raise the minimum wage to $7 an hour to a cheering crowd.
"Hardworking Americans are suffering under this president," Richard Todd said.
Kerry vowed to fight for the middle class by rolling back the president's tax cuts.
"We need a president who fights not for the most powerful corporations, but for families," Kerry said.
Kerry targeted women in the crowd, vowing to help mothers by raising the childcare credit by $1,000. He said he wants to make it easier for parents to send their children to college by making tuition more affordable.
Kerry thanked the American Indians of New Mexico who offered their endorsements last week. A Navajo codetalker blessed the crowd.
