Kennedy, Clinton Hit the Trail in Lafayette, Indiana

It was a big day for both Democratic campaigns in the Greater Lafayette area of Indiana today. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright visited the Purdue University campus this morning on behalf of the Clintons. Caroline Kennedy visited the Tippecanoe County Library this afternoon on behalf of Barack Obama. HRC herself visited Lafayette this evening for a rally.

Folks lined up around the block to see Ms. Kennedy who visited to share her vision for an Obama campaign in America. Personally, I didn't anticipate such a long line, and although I showed up well in advance of the event, there wasn't enough room inside the library to accommodate the crowd. "I won't underestimate a Lafayette crowd again," one Obama staffer said. Fortunately, Ms. Kennedy took the time to greet everyone waiting in line and encourage them to vote early for Obama.

A couple hours later, just a few blocks away, Hillary Clinton spoke to a crowd of more than a thousand people in the plaza in downtown Lafayette. The topic of the talk was bringing jobs to Indiana, which has lost a lot of manufacturing work over the past decade. While it lacked the electric atmosphere of an Obama event, the crowd was receptive to most of Clinton's ideas. If nothing else, it's encouraging to know that Democrats of all stripes will be coming out in full force come November to defeat John McCain.