The start of the party’s nominating convention in Philadelphia comes less than a week after Republicans formally nominated business mogul Donald Trump amid some signs of their own party’s splintering.
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U.S. Democratic National Convention kicked off on Monday as party leaders and Hillary Clinton scrambled to contain the fallout of damaging revelations of suspected backroom bias against Clinton’s rival in nomination contests Bernie Sanders.
And protests, plus Sanders’ speech Monday night on the convention floor at the Democratic National Convention, are expected to drive home that message.
“We live in odd times and the only thing we can be sure of is that the unpredictable will happen”, Ceasar said. That message – and the endorsement of Sanders – has helped the political upstart raise a surprising $2.2 million through June 30, mostly through small donations, after refusing to take money from political action committees.
The day started early for a group of about 100 people who gathered outside City Hall to rally on behalf of the Equality Coalition, many carrying placards supporting Sanders or slamming the Democratic National Committee. Eight years ago, after the last contentious Democratic primary, the vote was theatrically interrupted by Clinton, asking for unanimous support of then-Sen.
As frustration at the convention escalated Monday afternoon, the Sanders camp reached out to the Clinton campaign to express concerns over raw tensions among their delegates that could erupt into protests on the floor, according to sources.
Philadelphia police said 55 people were cited for disorderly conduct after demonstrators tried to climb barricades near the convention.
Fudge took the mantle as chairwoman of the DNC on Monday after news that Rep.
Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is being mentioned as a possibility for the next chair of the Democratic Party. The party said the comments do not reflect the party’s values or commitment to neutrality in the primary process.
“I think he’s going to emphasize how far we’ve come and talk about party unity”, Donna Whiteside, a Lewes, Del., real estate agent and a Sanders delegate.
Mr Sanders, an independent United States senator from Vermont, has made his presence felt already ahead of the party’s convention.
Some are not willing to give up on his candidacy yet.
Hundreds of delegates representing Sanders crowded into a ballroom at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Monday, pledging to “continue the revolution”, even as the former White House hopeful urged party unity.
The convention will officially establish Hillary Clinton as the the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, though the fallout from this weekend’s WikiLeaks data dump has caused enormous friction for Democrats in Philadelphia. “He is a very nice guy”, Mr Sanders said on NBC’s “Meet the Press”. “But it’s a true statement, in my opinion, that the stakes are too high and it does make me inclined to support her this fall”. “We know that the voices in this room that are standing up and being disruptive, we know that’s not the Florida that we know”, Wasserman Schultz shouted over the crowd.
But new polls showed Trump surging since his confirmation last week as the Republican presidential nominee, with a CNN poll putting him three points ahead of Clinton – a 6-point post-convention bump.
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Even former President Clinton is a NY superdelegate because the couple lives in Chappaqua, Westchester County.
