Hillary Clinton tore into Republican presidential candidates at her first campaign appearance in Colorado on Tuesday in Denver, blasting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in particular for his positions on immigration and remarks he made earlier that day about women’s health.

“I will fight for comprehensive immigration reform with a path to full and equal citizenship,” said the Democratic presidential candidate to cheers from an estimated 300 supporters inside a sweltering La Rumba nightclub. “There is no place in the United States for second-class citizenship.”

She also took aim at Bush for saying on Tuesday that he questioned how much money the federal government spends on women’s health — his campaign later said he had misspoken and was arguing that $500 million spent with Planned Parenthood should go to other health organizations — with a full-throated attack on the entire GOP presidential field.

“When you attack Planned Parenthood, you attack women’s health, and when you attack women’s health, you attack America’s health,” she said.

She also called a recent Republican forum “a recitation of out-of-touch, out-of-date policies.”

The event was billed as a grassroots-organizing meeting and featured campaign workers and Democratic officials waving clipboards in the air, urging supporters to “commit to caucus” for the former first lady, senator and secretary of state.

“This is not going to be an easy campaign,” she said. “That’s why I need you.”

Clinton said she intended to focus her campaign on improving the economic security and well being for all Americans.

“I believe that when Democrats are in the White House, people do better,” she said.

It was a point she echoed throughout the roughly 10-minute speech.

“I want you to know, in this campaign, I’m going to be standing up and just talking about the facts. Not the ideology, not the partisanship, not the extreme rhetoric,” she said. “There was an old TV program, ‘Just the facts, ma’am,’ and I’m going to deliver just the facts. And the facts are, when we have a Democrat in the White House, people do better, they have a greater sense of stability and security.”

Former Denver Mayor Wellington was among the Democrats — also including House Majority Leader Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, and U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette — who introduced Clinton.

“We’re going to elect Hillary Clinton president of the United States, and she happens to be a woman,” said Webb, a prominent Clinton supporter.

“We’ll continue to fight for Hillary, because she fights for us,” he continued. “We have to be out fighting in the community to make sure her story gets told, that people understand she’s been fighting for us for a very long time.”

Then Webb took a jab at the nearly constant calls by Clinton opponents for investigations into everything from her tenure as secretary of state to the private email server she maintained while holding that office.

“I saw a couple of people in this front row that parked their cars today,” he said with a mischievous smile. “And tomorrow in the newspaper they’re going to say there’s been criminal indictments filed because they parked in the wrong place. Well, in effect,” he said as the audience chortled, “that’s what happens with Hillary. Anytime anyone wants to say anything about her, rather than say something about the issues, they’ll say, ‘Well, there must be a criminal investigation.’”

Noting that she met Clinton in the 1970s, when the recent Yale Law School graduate was working for the Children’s Defense Fund, former state Sen. Polly Baca said she’s been a fan of Hillary ever since.

“She could have gone to work anywhere for lots of money, but she chose to go work for a pittance — that’s how much she’s always cared about children and about families. She’s always been there for us,” Baca said. “The more she’s here, the more they’re going to love her, because they’re going to find out she’s real. She cares about people and she fights for them.”

Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, said after Clinton spoke that she was thrilled by Clinton’s appearance and energized by the turnout.

“Hillary Clinton came in the way I knew she would — positive, talking about how she’s going to work hard for the middle class. The more I hear her speak, the more energized I am,” said Guzman, who was a Clinton backer in 2008 and said she supports her “200 percent” this time around. “I think she speaks for our Democratic values.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of Clinton’s rivals for the Democratic nomination, drew a crowd topping 5,000 to a rally at the University of Denver in June. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley mingled with legislators and media types as the legislative session drew to a close in an unannounced visit in May. Other Democrats in the race include former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee. Vice President Joe Biden is rumored to be considering getting into the race.Clinton also attended three top-dollar fundraisers in the state during her visit. Asking donors to pony up a minimum of $2,700 — or to raise $50,000 to attain the status of “Hillraiser” — the fundraisers were held at the Englewood home of Lindsey and Stanton Dodge, the Aspen home of Bob and Soledad Hurst and the Capitol Hill home of Merle Chambers and Hugh Grant. The receptions were closed to the press.

Colorado Republican Party Chairman Steve House blasted Clinton’s visit to the state in a statement.

“Coloradans believe that eight years of the Obama Administration’s failed policies are enough; that’s why recent polls show Hillary Clinton underwater in the Mile High State,” House said, referring to a Quinnipiac University poll released last month that showed Clinton trailing three Republican candidates.

“The fact is a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for four more years of President Obama,” House said. “That means four more years of Obamacare, four more years of his dangerous foreign policies and four more years of having a White House at war with Colorado’s energy economy. Coloradan’s have had enough, and are ready to elect a Republican to the White House in 2016.”

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com