Warren stumps for McGinty

At her first visit to Pittsburgh this election season, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., chose to hammer in an election day warning to a pair of prominent Republicans.

“I’ve got bad news for Donald Trump and Pat Toomey,” Warren said. “Nasty women in Pennsylvania vote.”

Though Warren first delivered the “nasty women” line at a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday, it has quickly become her go-to phrase for hitting Republicans.

Wednesday was no different. Warren visited Pitt’s Alumni Hall to stump for Pennsylvania Democratic senatorial nominee Katie McGinty and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Her trip to Pittsburgh comes after recent stops in North Carolina and New Hampshire, among others.

McGinty, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Rep. Mike Doyle also spoke Wednesday, all promoting Democratic policy while emphasizing that Trump and Sen. Pat Toomey — McGinty’s competition — stand directly opposed to it.

The “nasty women” line, a play on an utterance Trump hurled at Clinton during the final presidential debate, was one of a constant barrage that Warren, McGinty and other Democrat speakers fired at Trump and Toomey, setting an aggressive tone with just 12 days until the election.

Fitzgerald opened the event, criticizing the incumbent Toomey for not supporting the western Pennsylvania region throughout his six-year term as senator.

“I can tell you, as county executive for the last five years, there’s one U.S. senator that I’ve never heard from,” Fitzgerald said, referring to Toomey. “Never called me or the mayor to say ‘What can we do for western Pennsylvania?’… We need two U.S. senators that are going to work for us, not just one.”

Throughout her speech, McGinty was on the offensive against both her opponent, citing the need to “send him packing,” and Trump, calling him a “fraud.” If she wins the seat, McGinty will be the first female senator in Pennsylvania history.

“While you’re helping shatter that glass ceiling in the White House,” McGinty pleaded, referring to Clinton becoming the first female president, “Can you help me shatter a glass ceiling in the U.S. senate?”

In recent weeks, McGinty has been fighting to regain her lead over Toomey in the polls. Currently, Toomey leads McGinty by an average of 1.7 points across all polls according to Real Clear Politics, which keeps track of polling data.

After McGinty concluded, Warren joined her on stage, and the two embraced. Meagan Hart, a senior dual major in political science and philosophy who attended the event, said this moment resonated with her as a moment of pride.

“The first thing [Warren] did when she came out was she shook McGinty’s hand, and she raised [McGinty’s] hand,” Hart said. “The women empowerment really got to me.”

Warren began her speech discussing her own working-class roots.

“The way I see it, I am the daughter of a janitor that became a United States senator,” Warren said. “But here’s what scares me about that story. I’m worried it’s a story locked in time.”

She said she fears that is no longer possible, comparing and contrasting investments and regulations America made in the 1930s and 1980s and noting that income growth that once went to 90 percent of Americans almost entirely now goes to the top 10 percent.

She used this to begin her attack on Trump, who has alleged that the presidential race is “rigged.”

“When Donald Trump says ‘It’s rigged,’ he’s right, it is rigged,” Warren said. “It’s rigged for billionaires like Donald Trump. And we are here to fight that.”

Although Warren focused on the Republican presidential candidate, she also showed her distrust of Toomey, attacking the Pennsylvania senator for favoring his “rich and powerful friends” on Wall Street.

Warren specifically panned Toomey for voting against refinancing student loans, expanding social security, raising the minimum wage and equal pay, while voting for defunding planned parenthood and privatizing social security.

“Pennsylvania doesn’t need another senator for the rich and the powerful,” Warren said. “Pennsylvania needs a senator for the working people. Pennsylvania needs Katie McGinty.”

She then attempted to link Trump and Toomey, assailing the senator for his refusal to commit to either supporting or opposing the Republican nominee at the most recent senatorial debate.

“I thought at some point [Toomey] would whip out a bushel basket and put it right over his head, on the assumption that ‘If you can’t see me, I’m not here.’” Warren quipped. “But he can’t hide from this question.”

Warren asked the audience to do two things –– vote and volunteer, citing close polls in Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, Clinton currently leads Trump by 4.4 percent, according to Real Clear Politics.

When outlining different stances she and her party believe in, Warren said she, Clinton and McGinty share the same platform, including increasing minimum wage, protecting and expanding social security, regulating big banks, fighting climate change, supporting equal pay and combating racism.

“This is Hillary Clinton’s agenda, this is Katie McGinty’s agenda,” Warren said. “It is a common sense agenda. It is an opportunity agenda. It is a Pennsylvania agenda and it is an agenda for America.”