Presidential candidate Barack Obama discussed his economic policy and stressed the importance of early voting in front of about 45,000 people at Johnson Field on Saturday.
"Al Gore won New Mexico by 360 votes," Obama said. "John Kerry lost New Mexico by a little over 6,000 votes. Going out and voting early could make all the difference in the world."
Comedian George Lopez, Gov. Bill Richardson, Rep. Tom Udall and Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich came to show their support for Obama.
Richardson said the turnout for the rally demonstrates the role young people will play in the upcoming election.
"(The event) shows that there are a lot of college students who have stayed away from politics in the past, who have been brought into this election by Barack Obama," he said. "This kind of rally is why New Mexico is the focus of the nation right now."
Obama said he wants to create jobs across New Mexico by increasing federal funding for renewable energy.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"It is time that we build an infrastructure for the 21st century in New Mexico," he said. "And if they ask you how we are going to pay for all this, you tell them that if we can afford $10 billion a week in Iraq, then we can spend some of that money here."
Obama led the chant of "Si, se puede," and the crowd again exploded into cheers.
"We cannot create these changes alone," Obama said. "We must all remember that we are in this together, as Americans."
Junior Lucia Cook said she was exhilarated by the rally and planned to vote for Obama.
"Obama is so inspirational, and I really do agree with all of his policies," she said.
Obama said he is the man to bring change the U.S. needs.
"The economy is the worst it has been since the Great Depression," he said. "We lost over 750,000 jobs this last summer. Wages are lower than they have been in a decade, and the cost of health care and colleges have never been higher."
Obama said he has a plan to transform the economy, while his opponent, John McCain, wants to avoid the issue.
"A couple of weeks ago, my opponent said that if they keep on talking about the economy, that they will lose," he said. "So they instead focused on attacking me, and that is one promise that their campaign has been able to keep."
Obama asked attendees to raise their hands if they make less than $250,000 a year, saying he would cut taxes for everyone with a hand up.
"Let me make myself clear. If you make less than a quarter million dollars a year, you will not see any tax increase," he said. "Those numbers include 95 percent of small business owners - and 98.9 percent of plumbers."
Richardson said it is crucial that students vote this year. He said he wants all students, regardless of affiliation, to participate in the election.
"Go out and vote," he said. "Students need to understand that they have a lot to lose if the wrong person gets elected this year."
