Confident Clinton says she will no longer respond to Trump

Democratic Hillary Clinton said Saturday that after three debates she “doesn’t even think about responding” to Donald Trump any more.

Speaking to reporters on her campaign plane in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Clinton said she was “going to let the American people decide what he offers and what we offer.”

She continued: “He can say whatever he wants to. He can run his campaign however he wants to. He can go off on tangents. He can go to Gettysburg and say he’s going to sue women who’ve made accusations against him.”

Clinton said she’ll talk about what the next president should do and hope voters make their choice based on that.

At a rally later that night, she called Trump’s recent suggestion that he might not concede if he lost the election a “direct threat to our democracy.”

The United States has always had a “peaceful transfer of power,” she said, adding, “that is the difference between the rule of law and the rule of strong men.”

During the closing days of the race, Clinton is trying to stress a positive, unifying vision. She said of Trump, “anger is not a plan.”

As Trump trails by as much as 5 percentage points behind the Democratic candidate in an average of state polls, and as many swing states lean noticeably toward Clinton in recent days, her campaign has begun to reach out to disillusioned Republicans.

At the Pittsburgh rally, Clinton told her supporters they should tell Trump backers she understands they need a president who cares about them and will listen to them.

“I want to be their president,” she said, promising she would deal with their “legitimate concerns” as president.

Clinton also focused on getting Democrats elected to Congress. She went after GOP Sen. Pat Toomey, saying he’s refused to stand up to Trump. The incumbent senator is being challenged by Democrat Katie McGinty.

Both campaigns are investing heavily in battleground states, including Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Trump’s running mate Mike Pence got a warm welcome from thousands of participants at the Circleville Pumpkin Show in Circleville, Ohio on Saturday, where he greeted supporters and climbed atop a flatbed trailer to examine prize-winning 1,500-pound pumpkins.

It was among several unannounced stops for Pence before an evening rally with Trump in Cleveland.

Circleville is reliable Republican territory. Mitt Romney won 58 percent in surrounding Pickaway County four years ago. Trump is trying to maximize his advantage outside Ohio’s largest cities in hopes of flipping a state President Barack Obama won twice.

No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio.

Meanwhile, early voting is surging less than three weeks before Election Day.

As of Saturday, more than 5.3 million votes have been cast, far ahead of the pace at the same time in 2012.

Balloting is underway in 34 out of 37 early-voting states, both in person and by mail.

Hillary Clinton so far appears be showing strength in pivotal states such as North Carolina and Florida. Donald Trump has shown promise in Iowa and Ohio.

In all, more than 46 million people are expected to vote before Election Day — or as much as 40% of all votes cast.