Hillary Clinton rallies Las Vegas audience

Hillary Clinton started her trip to Las Vegas for a debate with four other Democratic presidential contenders hoping to bump down her standing as the front-runner.

The next day, she ended her trip on Wednesday evening in front of a crowd of about 2,500 cheering supporters at Springs Preserve in Las Vegas. Cries of "We love you, Hillary" rang from the audience as she entered the amphitheater at the 180-acre preserve.

"I am thrilled that people finally got a chance to compare the Democrats to the Republicans," Clinton said, referring to Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate. "And I think we came out of that pretty well."

The debate, televised on CNN to a national audience, was the first for the five Democratic presidential contenders and took place at Wynn Las Vegas.

Clinton, a former secretary of state, touted her plan to boost the economy, in part by investing in infrastructure and clean renewable energy. Those jobs, she said, "have to be done right in the United States of America."

The former first lady also said she is proud of her husband Bill Clinton's economic record as president.

"Incomes went up for everybody, not just for those at the top," Clinton said.

Clinton criticized Republicans for trying "54 times" to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

"If they get a Republican president, they'll succeed," she said, encouraging voters to do their part. "That's up to you."

Clinton said she's for equal pay for women and said comprehensive immigration reform is needed. She took aim at Republicans, without mentioning by name GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who has attracted the most attention for controversial comments about undocumented immigrants.

"I think the Republicans are doing great damage to our nation by their insults and their attacks on immigrants so as your president, I will certainly work hard for comprehensive immigration reform," Clinton said.

Clinton said she wants to keep Obamacare intact, but build on it by trimming the costs of out-of-pocket expenses and prescription drug costs.

Nevada is an early voting state, with February caucuses that play a role in determining which candidates land the Republican and Democratic nomination.

Clinton said she will work with anybody from both sides of the aisle to find common ground, even if she doesn't agree on every point.

"I'm not 100 percent with anybody," she said.

Before Wednesday's rally, Clinton toured the training facility at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades headquarters in Henderson.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1