COMMERCE CITY – Hillary Clinton took a dig at Donald Trump Wednesday in a rally at Adams City High School saying, “I actually really like fire marshals.”

In Colorado Springs on Friday, Trump picked a fight with the city’s fire marshal for refusing to allow the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign event to exceed capacity.

Clinton’s campaign clearly gave out more tickets than the gym at Adams City High School could hold, as thousands of people lined up in the hot sun in the school parking lot to try to get in. But Clinton did not make a point of going after the local fire marshal for limiting the crowd.

According to the campaign, 2,000 people were in the gym and another 1,000 were in an overflow room watching Clinton’s speech on TV.

“I want to say hello to the overflow crowd who couldn’t get in,” Clinton said. “We are going to have to look for some bigger spaces.”

Tickets could be reserved online, but the link was hard to find for those who had not previously corresponded with the campaign.

Clinton went to great lengths to make her speech local, praising Gov. John Hickenlooper and wearing a scarf from the Knotty Tie, a small Denver business she visited earlier Wednesday. Trump has faced criticism for many of his products, including his ties, being manufactured abroad.

“In fact, one thing I really like about it is, printed right here on the scarf, is ‘Made in Colorado’ – not China,” Clinton said.

The textiles company hires and trains refugees and asylum seekers to help make the handmade custom ties, pocket squares and scarves.

She showed off a pink tie with her campaign logo that Knotty made for Clinton. “I’m keeping this one, if you don’t mind. This would look really good on my husband,” she added later.

Clinton took the stage a few hours later in a northern suburb of Denver with Hickenlooper – a finalist to be Clinton’s running mate who is rumored as a favorite for a cabinet post if Clinton wins.

Hickenlooper, on the 140th anniversary of Colorado’s statehood, said Clinton adheres to a cowboy code of ethics to “be tough but fair.” Donald Trump, he said, does not.

“We cannot afford to give the reins of our economic stagecoach to someone as reckless as Donald Trump,” Hickenlooper said. “We need someone, a proven leader, who does ride for the brand – and the brand is this country, the United States of America.”

Clinton in turn praised Hickenlooper.

“He does understand how we could create more jobs and what has happened now under his leadership proves that,” she said. Colorado has an economy that is stronger than much of the nation.

She said Hickenlooper draws a sharp contrast to Trump, who is “stiffing small businesses and refusing to pay his bills.”

When the stories first came in that Trump had refused to pay some contractors who did work for him, Clinton said she gave him the benefit of the doubt. But that has changed.

“Maybe it happened once or twice, but no my friends it happened over and over again,” she said. “What kind of man does business by hurting other people.”

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Contact Megan Schrader: 286-0644

Twitter @CapitolSchrader

They will deliver a petition to McCain, a veteran himself, as McConnell and Ryan. (AP Photo/John Locher)