Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday made history by becoming the first woman to win a major US political party’s White House nomination, earning the backing of convention Democrats and prime-time praise from a presidential superstar: her husband, Bill.
The former first lady, senator and secretary of state took a monumental step on her quest to become the US’ first female commander-in-chief, by besting party challenger, US Senator Bernie Sanders.
After a tumultuous convention opening that saw Sanders and Clinton supporters trade jeers and chants, cheers erupted as Hillary Clinton passed the 2,382-delegate threshold needed for the nomination, setting up a showdown with Republican candidate Donald Trump in November.
Photo: EPA
Hours later, another historical moment greeted the Clintons, when a former president took the stage to intimately make the case that his wife was the compassionate and capable “change-maker” the US needed.
“She always wants to move the ball forward. That is just who she is,” Bill Clinton said of his candidate wife, keeping his audience of thousands of delegates rapt throughout his 45-minute speech, which marked the convention’s halfway point. “For this time, Hillary is uniquely qualified to seize the opportunities and reduce the risks we face, and she is still the best darn change-maker I have ever known.”
Although the roll call outcome was a foregone conclusion, the state-by-state vote saw rowdy displays on the convention floor.
A handful of diehard Sanders delegates fumed over their candidate’s defeat, but they were drowned out by ecstatic Hillary Clinton supporters. Several wept and embraced.
Sanders took the floor in a bid to unify the party, drawing deafening cheers and a chorus of “ayes” when he called for Hillary Clinton to be selected.
Delegates thrust placards in the air, forming a mosaic of “H’s” across the arena.
Hillary Clinton made a stunning appearance by video after her husband’s speech, appearing to burst through a symbolic glass ceiling comprised of the faces of former presidents, all men.
“What an incredible honor that you have given me,” she said to roars from the crowd.
“This is really your victory,” she added. “And if there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, let me just say: I may become the first woman president, but one of you is next.”
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