Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. arrives for a rally in Portsmouth, N.H., July 12, 2016. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
Hillary Clinton appeared in Portsmouth, New Hampshire today to receive Bernie Sanders’ endorsement and push her revised college affordability plan, which now closely resembles Sander’s plan.
Over the past few months, Clinton has been embracing ideas first floated by her progressive opponent in the Democratic party.
Speaking at Portsmouth High School, Clinton echoed Sanders and pitched her plan that would make public college tuition-free for families that earn less than $125,000 a year.
“We’re going to make college debt-free for all and help millions of people struggling with existing debt save thousands of dollars,” Clinton told a cheering crowd of supporters.
Making two years of public college tuition-free was one of Sanders’ most consistent applause lines on the stump.
Under the Vermont senator's plan, the federal government would provide billions of dollars in matching grants to states, and the Sanders campaign says those funds would allow public colleges and universities to slash tuition in half. Sanders has said he’ll pay for his plan by taxing stock traders.
Anna Barboza, 22, has been a Bernie Sanders supporter and says Hillary Clinton has not done enough to win her over. (Kirk Carapezza/WGBH)
Like Sanders, Clinton wants to give states financial incentives to invest more in their public colleges. She also wants to sway millions of young people like 22-year-old Anna Barboza, who flocked to Sanders before today’s endorsement.
"There's a lot of issues with the education system, so I personally think that more needs to be done,” said Barboza, who graduated from college last year with $40,000 in student loan debt.
Barboza is now waiting tables in Portsmouth and, like many Sanders supporters, she says Clinton hasn't done enough to win her over yet.
Related: Bernie Sanders Is Proposing Free College, But Would He Have The Power To Make It Happen?
