The afternoon sun beat down on the New York State Fairgrounds as hundreds of people gathered outside the Empire Room. They wait patiently, fanning themselves with fair maps while discussing the weather, the day’s concert lineup and, of course, politics.

‘We should have brought a dozen eggs to throw,’ one man mutters, while another proclaims, ‘It’s time for a woman in the White House-she can bring our boys home.’

Hillary Clinton is in town.

The state’s Democratic senator and 2008 presidential hopeful spent Friday afternoon at the fair garnering support from voters. After hosting a 500-seat luncheon in the Empire Room, Clinton emerged to a cheering crowd, shaking hands with her supporters before beginning a tour of the fair.

Clinton’s visit follows a recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair, where she spent hours campaigning in the battleground state that holds the nation’s first caucus every January. The New York State Fair is one of Clinton’s favorite events, and she has attended nine years in a row, said Jennifer Hanley, Clinton’s traveling press secretary.

‘It’s good for Clinton to go to the fair where she has a lot of supporters. People in New York like her,’ said Danny Hayes, assistant professor who teaches a campaign analysis class at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. ‘She gets to talk to people who are on her side, rather than going somewhere like Iowa or New Hampshire where people are more skeptical and she has to win them over.’

Barbara Mace, a Rochester resident, has met Clinton five times already and waited in the heat for another glimpse of the former first lady.

‘I like what happened when Bill was in the White House, and the support she gave him,’ Mace said, smiling widely. ‘Hillary has great policy ideas of her own-I’ll vote for her.’

Clinton had a variety of goals with Friday’s fair visit, Hayes said.

‘She’s running for president, which is occupying most of her attention, voters’ attention and the media’s attention,’ Hayes said. ‘But she has a duty to the citizens of New York as their senator, and going to the fair is one way of showing that she is still engaged in what’s happening in the state.’

By visiting, Clinton created excellent photos and television clips to cultivate an ‘of the people’ image, showing that she, just like everyone else, attends the fair, Hayes said.

The senator is a favorite target of right-wing political pundits who have outspokenly criticized her since her husband’s first White House run in 1992. While she is often portrayed by her critics as rigid and controlling, this could not be further from the truth, Mace, the Rochester resident, said.

‘I’ve spoken with Hillary, and she is down to earth, easy to talk to, and has a great sense of humor,’ Mace said. ‘She is the complete antithesis of what people say she is.’

Although former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani campaigned at the Iowa State Fair, he did not attend the New York State Fair. Giuliani spokesman Jeff Barker said he could not give a specific reason as to why Giuliani skipped the event but said he does not think it will negatively affect his campaign.

‘The mayor has taken a number of trips to upstate New York, not just during this election season,’ Barker said. ‘He has tremendous amounts of support from New Yorkers.’

Hayes said that by the time primaries start in February 2008, the fair will be a distant memory, so the fact that Giuliani did not attend won’t be a big deal.

‘Some people might feel like he’s not devoting the attention to voters in this state that he should, but he’s also not representing the state like Clinton is,’ Hayes said. ‘For her to skip what is the biggest community-building event in New York state would be much riskier.’

Syracuse resident Donna Kassman has spent years volunteering for local, state and national Democratic committees, and also volunteered for Clinton’s senate campaign. At the fair, she volunteered at Clinton’s presidential campaign booth, handing out stickers and signing up supporters.

Kassman said she believes strongly in all of Clinton’s national policy issues, from the war to education to healthcare. Regional issues are also important to her, and she approves of how Clinton has approached the economic situation, trying to create more jobs in central New York.

‘She is well-packaged, very intelligent and diplomatic,’ Kassman said of Clinton. ‘I think she would make a wonderful president.’

With almost a year to go before the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Clinton and her fellow candidates are far from finished with campaigning. It’s anybody’s guess as to who will win the coveted nomination, but Kassman remains confident.

‘When people say we’re not ready for a woman president, think again,’ she said.

Published on September 3, 2007 at 12:00 pm