SPEARFISH - As the second Clinton to visit the Black Hills this week, former President Bill Clinton reiterated many of the points his wife and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton made in Rapid City on Wednesday as he campaigned for her Friday at Black Hills State University.

The nation's 42nd president also told the crowd - about 400 people packed tightly into BHSU's Jacket Legacy room at the campus student union - that they should be excited about South Dakota's role in the Democratic nomination.

"Aren't you glad that now you get to vote last, and you really matter in this election in South Dakota?" he asked the crowd.

Bill Clinton has made three trips to South Dakota in the past month to campaign for his wife, who appeared Wednesday at Memorial Park in Rapid City. He told the crowd that they will be closely watched in the coming days.

"You do matter. Trust me, there will be a lot of people looking at how these last three states vote," he said, referring to South Dakota, Montana and Puerto Rico.

South Dakota Democrats will have a chance to choose Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama for the nomination during Tuesday's primary.

Bill Clinton focused most of his speech on what he said will make his wife the better candidate and didn't say much about President George W. Bush or Obama.

He even told the crowd as much.

"I don't really have anything bad to say about anybody else," he said. "I want to tell you why I think Hillary would be the best president."

The Clinton camp continues to claim that Hillary Clinton can still win the nomination, although Obama leads in the delegate count and many experts say he has a good grasp on the nomination.

Despite that, Bill Clinton said polls have shown more support for Hillary than Republican candidate John McCain, and if people couple those results with her chance at winning the popular vote, they will see she is the best candidate.

The former president said his wife would improve the nation on three fronts if elected: He said she would turn the economy around, reform government and restore the United States' standing in the world.

He also talked about her solution to the gas problem - a break on gas prices and a federal investigation into the oil companies - and discussed her nationwide health-care plan.

Clinton also discussed his wife's plan to bring the troops home from Iraq, give people a tax break for a super-fuel-efficient vehicle that may be available in the future and to boost the economy in general, which were all points she discussed Wednesday.

Clinton also talked about his wife's plan to lower interest rates on student loans. That part of the speech was music to the ears of 19-year-old BHSU student Mike Soriano.

"The student loans part definitely hit home for me, with the 20 percent interest rate he was talking about," Soriano said.

Josh Roadifer, a 26-year-old recent BHSU graduate, also has financial concerns and was encouraged by Clinton's talk of boosting the economy.

"It gives me a lot of hope," he said. "I feel scared for the economy."

Roadifer, who works two different jobs, said anything that Hillary Clinton thinks she can do for the economy would be something he would be interested in.

"It is a big concern for me," he said. "I'm a recent college graduate from Black Hills State, and just to try to find a job locally that's going to make me more than $8 an hour has been tremendously hard."

The Clinton family has said they will make an appearance in South Dakota once a day until the June 3 primary.

Friday's event was believed to be the first time a former U.S. president had visited the BHSU campus.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com