FLINT, Mich. — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton made a quick detour on Sunday afternoon from the campaign trail in New Hampshire to express her outrage directly to the residents of this struggling, post-industrial city over the scandal that poisoned their municipal water supply.

“I want you to know that this has to be a national priority not just for today or tomorrow,” Clinton said from the pulpit of the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church. “What happened in Flint is immoral. The children of Flint are just as precious as children anywhere else in America.”

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday in Flint, Mich. The Associated Press

Clinton has repeatedly described the water crisis in Flint, where a majority of residents are African American, as an example of the nation’s struggle with economic and racial inequality. She did so again Sunday morning at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Manchester, N.H., where, with just two days to go before that state’s presidential primary, she stopped to say hello to voters before flying west to Michigan.

Clinton’s trip comes at a critical time in her campaign – after barely eking out a victory in Iowa and when her poll numbers are dramatically behind Bernie Sanders’ in New Hampshire.

Her campaign has pointed to her outreach in Flint as an example of her problem-solving approach to leadership. She takes credit for goading the Republican governor to accept federal help, and she cast her trip Sunday as a chance to explore what else she might do.

The trip could reinforce her support among African Americans, already far stronger than that of Sanders, the senator from Vermont. African Americans begin voting in large numbers in several Southern states later this month and in early March.

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