Clinton, As Polls Tighten, Shifts Focus To Herself Instead Of Trump

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reflected on her religious faith on Thursday during the first of a series of speeches her campaign said would focus on her values and vision rather than those of Republican opponent Donald Trump.

The shift comes as opinion polls tighten between Clinton, the former secretary of state and U.S. senator, and Trump, a New York businessman, ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

Clinton has focused many of her public remarks on criticism of Trump, including his provocative comments on illegal immigrants, Muslims and women. Trump has criticized Clinton’s record in public office and questioned her honesty and qualifications for the White House.

But the Clinton campaign acknowledged she had to spend more time focusing her remarks on herself so voters could see the “aspirational” vision she hopes to enact if she becomes the first woman elected U.S. president.

“We believe we have to work extra hard to make sure that the positive notion of what she wants to do breaks through given the amount of interest that there is (in Trump) and what he says and also in what we say about him,” Clinton’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, told reporters on her plane.

Clinton will do that with speeches on the economy, children and families, and national service in the coming weeks.

She started on Thursday night with an address to the National Baptist Convention, made up primarily of African-Americans, that focused on her own religious life

From RealClearPolitics:

Polling Data