Hillary Clinton photo

Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - This Woman Bought Hillary Clinton a Beer—and There's a Touching Story Behind It

November 12, 2015

"We clinked our bottles of Dorothy's beer, and we held them high. It was just so good."

This is the story of how Becky, a woman from rural Winneshiek County, Iowa, bought Hillary Clinton a beer.

"My mother's name is Dorothy. Hillary's mother's name is Dorothy. They're both gone now—my mother died almost six years ago. Both women lived through the Great Depression, and that shaped their daughters.

"My mother wanted so much to vote for Hillary."

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Back in May, during Hillary's first listening tour through Iowa, Becky made Hillary a promise.

"In Decorah, there is a brewery called Toppling Goliath. They have some of the best beers in the world—you can look it up. And one of the beers they brew is called Dorothy's. When I met Hillary in Mason City a few months ago, I said, 'When you come to Decorah, I'd like to take you to Toppling Goliath Brewery. I will buy you a Dorothy's beer, and you and I can toast to our mothers.'"

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And sure enough, a few months later, Hillary returned to speak in Decorah—and Becky was ready to follow through on her promise.

"We were standing in a room at Luther College before she spoke, and I had Dorothy's beer in a little blue cooler. I said ‘Hillary, I made you a promise when I visited with you in Mason City. I told you that both our mothers were named Dorothy.' And she had that look of realization. I said ‘I promised that if you came to Decorah, I'd buy you a beer named after our mothers. And I have done that! I have the beer!'

"So I got out two beers and I handed her one. I said: ‘Our mothers, named Dorothy, wanted to vote for this lady for president. And they didn't get a chance to. But I will. And here's to our mothers.'

"And we clinked our bottles of Dorothy beer and we held them high. It was just so good.

"We didn't drink them then—I had to go to her speech and she had to give her speech! But I left them there in the cooler for her to have one at the end of the day."

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To all the Dorothys out there: Cheers.

Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - This Woman Bought Hillary Clinton a Beer—and There's a Touching Story Behind It Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/317529

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