Warren says 12,000 attended St. Paul rally

Sen Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) presidential campaign said 12,000 people attended her first rally in Minnesota Monday.

The rally at Macalester College in St. Paul was the first of two stops Warren made as she kicked off her campaign in the state. On Tuesday morning Warren held a criminal justice reform round table in Minneapolis. 

It was set to be a question-and-answer session, but Warren said “that’s a little tricky with 12,000 people,” according to a recording of her speech shared by WCCO, a local CBS affiliate.  

Warren’s political director Rebecca Pearcey also tweeted that 12,000 people came out to Monday’s event, including a photo of the packed field.

Local reports did not place the figure at 12,000, but reported that thousands attended. Among them was a Warren look-a-like who took a picture with the White House hopeful, the StarTribune reported. 

Supporters began filling the college field more than two hours before Warren arrived, Minnesota Public Radio News reports. 

St. Paul resident Sarah Shapley-Melting told WCCO she took off work early “because I really want to be able to see her.” {mosads}

The Hill reached out to the Warren campaign and Macalester College for crowd size estimates. 

Warren has risen to the top tier of the crowded primary field. A RealClearPolitics average of polls has her in second at 15.8 percent, virtually neck and neck with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), at 15.4 percent. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden leads Warren by 13.2 points, based on the RealClearPolitics average.