Inside a Hillary Clinton rally, where her supporters are full of enthusiasm and joy

In a small Durham rec gym decorated for the occasion with large American flags, Bill Clinton spoke to North Carolinians about voting for Hillary.

It was what you’d expect from a political rally, including a vast amount of passionate supporters for her, a few naysayers, and a boatload of media. It was the atmosphere of the campaign—made up of optimism, an attitude of inclusivity, a focus on Hillary instead of Trump, and civil rhetoric—that made this event feel so unique, so effective, and so uncharacteristic to this election.

The sentiment was massively positive and optimistic. The individuals in charge of greeting guests, providing press with credentials, promoting voter registration, and even the women who directed me to the ladies room, were overwhelmingly in good spirits. All of these people danced, sang, started up conversation with the people around them, and even hugged strangers, all before anyone was even let into the building.

The event was more locally inclusive than one would anticipate and that was particularly striking. The speech was personal to both Durham and North Carolina, which as a swing state, will be a major get for either candidate. Local students sang the national anthem, a North Carolina flag hung behind President Clinton, House Bill 2 and state voter registration rights were discussed, and the Durham mayor endorsed Hillary Clinton.

President Clinton and those who spoke before him were careful to make it clear that Hillary was nothing more than a vessel for the people, with a special focus on the locals. President Clinton said: “I want you to go vote for her to vote for yourself.”

There was very little mention of Trump in his speech. He mentioned Trump’s controversial comments about Senator McCain as a war hero, Trump’s comments on the Clinton Foundation, and briefly mentioned Trump University, but beyond that references to Trump were limited. Most of the speech focused on the issues leftover from the financial crisis of 2008, the refugee crisis, crime rates, voting rights, job creation, income inequality, modern infrastructure, and clean water systems.

Instead, the references to Trump were most prominent in the speeches by those who introduced President Clinton, however very little of their tone or message was combative. The rhetoric, actually, was overwhelmingly civil in comparison to the rhetoric we’ve seen in this election cycle thus far. The speech and entirety of the event were captivating, but not overwhelming like so many events, protests, and debates for the 2016 presidential election.

As one student told me: “Donald Trump’s bigotry is really catching up to him, and it’s coming back to bite him in the butt.

“People can’t continue being as manipulative and rude to each other, especially when they’re going to be in a position of power.”

Teig, a student at Duke, added: “For me, with Hillary, the thing I always noticed is that he never has anything negative to say…it’s always sweet and really genuine.”

On paper, all of these elements sound relatively straightforward and not particularly creative for a campaign event. But as this election seems to be composed of Twitter wars and aggressive memes, a campaign event with an atmosphere purely of civility and positivity feels out of place, as if it’s from a different era.

I can’t speculate how much of these elements are contrived strategic efforts on the part of the Clinton campaign versus honest enthusiasm and good heartedness. There is, however, no denying it’s a combination of both. The Clinton campaign is sharp and on top of their game, and their supporters are excited, optimistic, and anxious for a second President Clinton in the White House.

Bill’s event in Durham was remarkable not just because of his speech, but because the atmosphere that surrounded it was so unique to this election. Iff Hillary’s campaign continues with events like these, the numbers will move in her favor.

“It’s a really easy decision – she’s qualified and Donald Trump isn’t,” a Hillary voter told me. “If I could pick anyone in the US to be President, it would be her.”