Photos from Hillary’s Obama rally on the Range

This should be my last post on the Hillary event. As you know, I’ve already posted my report and analysis and a roundup of local media coverage.

I took some additional pictures and I’ve gotten a few from friends in the ol’ e-mail.

Above, here’s another I took of Hillary from my vantage point 12 or so feet in front of the podium down in the pit. Below, here is another angle from my friend Heidi Holtan who was up in the bleachers. (UPDATE: Heidi sent them to me but Sandy Roggenkamp took them … oops). Both sides of the area were full and the floor was apparently 2/3 full (mostly because of the placement of the press stand).

Heidi and Sandy also got to see Hillary waiting in the wings.

Now I’ll go back and time and show some of the other speakers.

Here’s Tom Rukavina warming up the crowd. Passionate, smart and overwhelmingly outspoken, Rukavina is invincible in his east Range district. Also pictured is Range state senator David Tomassoni.

Tony Sertich gave a decidedly more modern political speech in keeping with what has become his role as a new leader on the Range. It resonated with the younger members of the audience, but the old timers probably favored Rukavina and Jim Oberstar, who would speak after Sertich. Oberstar in particular knows how to close a rally speech. This shot shows a more subdued portion of the evening as Iron Range legislators look on.

Amy Klobuchar gave a great speech. Hers was probably the most emotional introduction speech as she talked about her grandfather working the underground mines in Ely.

The most raw emotion in the room probably came from retired miner and Vietnam vet John Flynn, who has returned to the workforce to afford health care after losing his defined benefits from a corporate bankruptcy. His story was compelling, mostly because the unspoken truth is that hundreds to thousands of people in that room were affected by the same gutted pensions, health plans and related woes. Here is John introducing Hillary.