Hillary Clinton rouses hundreds of supporters in Salinas.

Many familiar Democratic faces made the rounds at Hartnell College in Salinas Wednesday afternoon, shaking hands with supporters and courting potential voters. Luis Alejo, Karina Cervantez Alejo, Anna Caballero, Jimmy Panetta and Alex Miller were among the candidates present. 

But the energy surged when the headliner, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, took the stage, generating whoops from hundreds of supporters who packed the gym. 

Clinton spoke about a range of issues from the economy and the gender pay gap to student loans and early childhood education. 

Her message was clearly targeted against the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, more than Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, though Sanders supporters were among the outspoken protesters who gathered outside. 

While she might've been trying to persuade undecided voters, many of people who spent hours in line had already settled on Hillary. 

Salinas couple Sanjuana Guerrero and Carlos Aispuro are both already decided; Guerrero has already mailed in her ballot. "I'm a big fan," Aispuro says. "She's the best one for the job. I wanted to see her in person."

Clinton last visited Salinas in 2008 when she was running in the presidential primary against Barack Obama.

Clinton supporter Susan Selix, a Monterey attorney and member of the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee, remembers hearing Clinton speak in '08 and again today, and thought Clinton had evolved as a candidate. 

"Her speech was different then," Selix says. "I think she has, if possible, even more resolve than she did."

About 100 detractors gathered outside, including Sanders supporters and members of the Brown Berets, an activist group based in Watsonville. Protesters held signs with messages like "Not My Abuela," "Hillary Clinton has blood on her hands," and "Hillary will deport babies." A handful of protesters who made it inside the rally were quietly escorted out by Salinas police officers and Secret Service agents. 

Clinton took the podium alongside Jimmy Panetta, a Monterey County deputy district attorney who is the only Democrat in a five-way congressional race to replace retiring Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel. 

They each delivered an enthusiastic endorsement of each other, and Panetta seemed to speak more directly than Clinton to the pro-Bernie camp: "She is the only candidate in this race who will actually get things done," he said. "I doesn't help just to be a voice if you can't get things accomplished."

Before delving into her stump speech, Clinton gave a ringing endorsement of Panetta. 

"I'm not giving just a pro forma endorsement of Jimmy Panetta," she said. "I know this family, you know this family."

She's referring to Panetta's dad, former congressman—and more recently CIA director and Secretary of Defense—Leon Panetta, who Clinton worked with during her tenure as Secretary of State in the Obama White House. 

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," she said. 

Clinton covered lots of territory in her short speech. She called for immigration reform and derided Trump's plan to build a wall; she called for more clean energy and a resilient power grid, and internet service in every house in the nation by 2020. 

It was a classic campaign speech, appealing to all the issues and covering lots of ground in a little time as she continues campaigning in California while Bill Clinton makes a parallel route along Highway 99 in the Central Valley, with just two weeks until the June 7 primary.

More than anything, Clinton was there to energize existing supporters and to encourage people to vote. 

Her concluding remarks weren't about policy, but the simple act of voting.

"If you have a ballot at home, mail it in," she said. "Get that out of the way. Just check my name and Jimmy Panetta's name, and you're done!" 

View more photos from today's rally at the Weekly photo blog.