45°
Lorretta Fuller, a Bridgeport resident who braved a raw and chilly day, attended Obama's rally for Malloy in 2010 in Bridgeport. She said she believed it was important to see him again.
"I want to show my support because he is talking about everyone's rights," Fuller said. She said Obama's appearance should give Malloy's re-election campaign against Republican Tom Foley a boost.
For another Bridgeport resident, Sunday's rally at Central High School was a first chance to see Obama in person. The man said he didn't want to miss this chance.
"I'm excited. I've got my family here," he said with a smile as he joined the crowd on the floor of the gymnasium.
Senatorial vine
At the rally, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy made a Vine video of the crowd by panning his cellphone as they cheered for Obama.
The freshman senator joked he would send the video to Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley to show him all the support for Malloy.
A chance to see history
Amy Kaplan of Westport brought along her son Max, 15, and his friend, Ben Rosoff, to the event to watch a bit of history with Obama and also to support Malloy and other Democrat candidates.
"We're Democrats," Kaplan said, noting that Max is a volunteer in State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg's race in the 136th District.
"I hope he can give Malloy a boost like he did the previous time," Kaplan said about Obama's late-in-the-campaign intervention in 2010 that was widely seen as helping to give Malloy the win in a race decided by little more than 6,000 votes.
"I think the event was really important because Bridgeport is going to be really important in this election," she said.
Big cheer
In the rally held before the president arrived, one of the biggest cheers went to Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman when she quipped, "We need your help! We can't afford Tom Foolery!"
Protesters interrupt the president
The president's speech was interrupted at least four times by hecklers protesting for immigration reform. The president was interrupted early on by a woman who shouted that she's a "dreamer" demanding immigration reform.
"The Republicans are blocking immigration reform. That's one more reason we need a Democratic Senate," Obama said.
Another man later interrupted the speech, holding up a sign saying, "Queers demand bold broad inclusive relief."
Others calling for more action to help immigrants set up camp outside the school after Obama's speech to discuss their cause with people in the crowd.
Crowd count
The crowd filling the gym at Bridgeport's Central High School on Sunday totaled 1,900 people. That was the official word from Len Bonaventura, senior fire inspector for the Bridgeport Fire Department.
A plane, a helicopter and a limo
Obama left Andrews Air Force Base for Tweed Airport in New Haven at 2:10 p.m. Sunday aboard a U.S. government C-32 plane. Upon landing, Obama was greeted on the tarmac by Malloy and New Haven Mayor Toni Harp.
Then to beat the traffic on I-95, Malloy and Obama boarded Marine One for a seven-minute helicopter flight to Stratford. The motorcade then departed from there for the rally in Bridgeport.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
