Making two stops in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Democratic vice-presidential hopeful Tim Kaine left no doubt about the commonwealth's importance this general election.

"If we win Pennsylvania, Hillary will be the president," the junior U.S. senator from Virginia told a crowd of nearly 1,000 at Muhlenberg College.Several hundred more students watched on monitors in an overflow room.Kaine's stop at Muhlenberg was his second of the day after stumping for Clinton. He was at Bucks County Community College's Newtown campus earlier on Wednesday.Speaking in front of mostly college students, popular talking points included a debt-free college education, but a lasting message was, the race is never over until it's over.Most polls have Clinton between 7 and 10 percentage points ahead of Republican candidate Donald Trump, but Kaine pleaded with the crowd not to let their guard down."Never take anything for granted," he said. "Hillary was ahead before in the polls and the next thing you know it was tied. If they tied up once they can tie up again. It's been a season of surprises. Most people didn't think the GOP would nominate Trump. You never know what's going to happen."Kaine targeted Trump, saying he has made negative statements about women, Muslims, disabled people and the American military."This is a guy who is questioning whether the election will be fair," Kaine said. "He wants to be president of this country but has that little faith in it to have a fair election."Clinton's idea of success as a president, Kaine said, became clear to him when she called him on July 22 at 7:32 p.m. to offer him a spot on the ticket.During the phone call, she said a bill, a headline or a sound bite would not measure their administration."I want it to be measured by, is a classroom a little bit better learning environment for a teacher or student?" Kaine said. "Is a business able to hire a few more people? Can a family better afford college or can someone can get health care a little bit easier?"On the topic of education costs, Kaine said Clinton's plan would make tuition free for children of families that earn less than $125,000."Seven out of every 10 Pennsylvania students have college debt averaging $33,000," he said.The crowd outside Muhlenberg College's Seegers Union building braved chilly temperatures as they waited in line more than an hour before Kaine's expected arrival.Bonnie Floyd, a student, said the number of her fellow classmates and young people who attended Wednesday's event encouraged her.She called this election a critical one."I think we're at a real turning point in our country," she said. "I really like what I'm hearing in terms of helping ease the burden of college loans. Her values seem to be a lot different from her opponent, who seems to take issue with a lot of different groups of people in this country. I heard a lot about the issues today, which I liked."Kaine also spoke on issues such as climate change, noting that he and Hillary believe in science. Trump, he said, believes climate change is a hoax created by the Chinese."If he doesn't believe in that science, what other science doesn't he believe in?" Kaine asked. "Science about food safety, air quality, water quality or protocols on prescribing drugs."The current race is as much about equality as any other issue, Kaine said."I don't want to go to a society where Muslims are treated as second class because of their faith," he said.Before Kaine hit the stage, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. warmed up the crowd.When it was time for the main event, the Democrats made it clear their intentions this election go beyond the White House."How about we send Katie McGinty to join Bob Casey in the Senate," Kaine said.McGinty is in a hotly contested race with Republican Pat Toomey.