SAN DIEGO — Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren spoke to a crowd of thousands in San Diego on Thursday. The Massachusetts senator held the town hall at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego.
Warren took the stage and began speaking just before 7:30 p.m. and wrapped up with questions from the audience.
Warren was introduced to the crowd by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez who has announced she is endorsing Warren in her run for president. Warren walked on stage to "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton.
“We’re here to talk about how we build a future that works for everyone and I see that as what we can do," Warren told the crowd.
Warren said he has a plan for building that future and one of her primary goals is to root out corruption at the federal level.
“If there is a decision to be made in Washington, it has been influenced by money; that is corruption, and that’s why I am in this fight," Warren said.
To achieve this, Warren says she is calling for big structural change, beginning with enforcing antitrust laws to break up the power of "big business."
She also took a forceful jab at Facebook's founder, with whom she had engaged in a war of words over the influence of big tech earlier in the day.
“Yes, Mark Zuckerberg, I am looking at you," said Warren.
Warren also spoke on her plan to tax the uber-wealthy, proposing a 2% tax on every dollar over $50 million. She said the billions this tax would generate could pay for everything from universal pre-K to free college tuition to wiping out student loan debt.
“This is it: this is our moment in American history. Our moment to dream big, fight hard and win," Warren concluded her speech.
The town hall marked Warren's first visit to San Diego County since formally launching her campaign in February. After being dogged by a controversy over her heritage early in her campaign, Warren has steadily climbed in the race and has separated herself from the rest of the field along with former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Elizabeth Warren in San Diego
Her visit to San Diego came shortly after a Los Angeles Times and UC Berkeley poll from Sept. 13-18 found that 29% of likely voters in California support her, with Biden in second at 20% and Sanders in third at 19%. Several polls have also found Warren leading in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to vote in the primary.
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Other polls have found Warren and Sanders within a few points of Biden in California while other prominent candidates like Sen. Kamala Harris have fallen to single digits. Warren, Biden, Sanders and Harris are part of a candidate field of roughly 20 Democrats that also includes South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang and former El Paso, Texas, Rep. Beto O'Rourke.