First Lady Hillary Clinton stopped in Des Moines Saturday to tell high school and college students that Bill Clinton is on their side.

Clinton was the keynote speaker at a student rally and at the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner at Drake University’s Knapp Center.

Iowa State students attended the rally along with students from the University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa, Drake University, Simpson College, Grinnell College and several high schools.

Clinton told the young Iowans that the Clinton-Gore ticket remembers what it is like to be a student. “You have two men who remember what it was like to have student loans…,” Clinton said.

The first lady said she tries to come to college campuses so she can let Americans know about the trials college students face as they attempt “to build [their] own futures.”

Vying for support for the Democratic ticket, Clinton urged the students to get out and vote. “I hope each of you will vote in this election,” she said. Voting for your beliefs, Clinton said, will set the stage for “the best century America has ever had.”

Jennifer Dreibelbis of the ISU Democrats said the event was open to any ISU student. The turnout was not as high as expected, she said, but about 32 ISU students went to see the first lady. Dreibelbis said the turnout was hurt by several weekend events, including the Garth Brooks concert.

“I thought it went very well,” Dreibelbis said. Speeches by Clinton and Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin pumped up the students.

“She’s a great speaker,” Dreibelbis said.

Nearly 1,700 Iowa Democrats attended the annual fund-raising dinner. Contrasting the Democratic and Republican campaigns, Harkin said, “My campaign is about the mainstream versus the extreme.”

Harkin also asked members of the audience to vote for Iowa’s Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. “You’re going to stop making me the loneliest Democrat in Washington,” Harkin said.

Clinton touted Iowa’s support for education. “If we do not invest in education, we cannot be strong,” Clinton said. Education requires the support of schools, homes and communities, she said, stressing community respect for teachers.

Clinton said technology is important to education. President Clinton wants to hook every classroom up to the Internet by the year 2000. “I do not want to see two classes of students in America — the information haves and the information have-nots,” the first lady said.

Making sure students entering college have no financial obstacles is also vital, Clinton said. She said her husband’s campaign wants to create IRA’s that allow tax-free withdrawals for college education.

Also part of the education plan, Clinton said, is giving a $1,500 tax credit to people wishing to attend a two-year community college. The president also supports giving a yearly tax deduction of up to $10,000 for college.