For those backing Hillary Clinton, her DNC speech serves as a revival of the opportunity to etch another historical milestone
Leah Daughtry, who recently served as the CEO of the convention where Clinton earned the Democratic nomination, attended Clinton's Election Night celebration with staffing details to discuss in the coming days. Following the election result, she spent three days in bed before readying herself for the struggle ahead.
Eight years later, Clinton will once more address the Democratic National Convention, this time endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, the second female candidate to secure a major party nomination.
Daughtry expressed optimism about Harris' potential to surpass the bar set in 2016, stating, "We have a chance as women to do what we didn't accomplish in 2016 and push her over the finish line."
For many Democrats who dreamed of Clinton's historical victory in 2016, Harris' elevation holds both exhilaration and another chance to create history. Clinton's participation in the convention - the first in-person event since her own 2016 event - symbolizes this duality.
Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, voiced her belief that Clinton would focus on the future, likening her to a mother who isn't fixated on past mistakes.
Like several Democrats, Clinton expressed enthusiasm for Harris' candidacy and is fully committed to her success, as suggested by a source familiar with her thoughts. The source suggested that Clinton's speech would exude positivity and acknowledge the electoral momentum that Harris has generated. Additionally, Clinton would caution Democrats about the protracted journey to Election Day, remarking on the familiar GOP strategy.
Clinton also plans on addressing the unbroken glass ceiling that she herself barely managed to crack.
The source claimed, "She will discuss how many fractures have been made in the glass ceiling, but she will also comment on what she envisions once the glass is shattered - once Harris achieves it."
Clinton has maintained contact with the Harris campaign and conversed with the vice president backstage at Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's funeral earlier this month about the campaign's progress, according to the source.
When addressing the convention, Clinton will don multiple roles, said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, Camden. She serves as a prominent party figure and as the only other woman to face Trump in a general election campaign.
"I believe there's a distinctive experience that she had as a woman campaigning against him," Dittmar stated. "I'm uncertain how much she'll address this in her speech, but this is another essential role she plays for Harris."
In interviews, supporters of the Clinton campaign who now back Harris applauded the vice president's campaign for creating an electoral buzz. Simultaneously, they argued that Clinton's campaign contributed to a shift in perceptions around presidential candidacies. She, alongside politicians like Rep. Shirley Chisholm, who in 1972 became the first Black woman to contest the Democratic nomination, laid the groundwork for Harris, they claimed.
"I don't see this as passing the baton or waving the torch," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "Instead, I see Hillary Clinton creating and nurturing the field. That's what I perceive as Clinton's greatest gift to Kamala Harris."
What transpired?
Though both HRH and Harris contend with Trump as their rival, their circumstances differ significantly. Clinton had effectively been in the national spotlight for over two decades by the time she clinched the nomination in 2016 - as the First Lady of a president enmeshed in a scandal; a New York senator; a 2008 Democratic presidential contender; and the Secretary of State under Obama. She navigated GOP attacks, congressional hearings, and investigations into her use of a private email server at the State Department throughout her journey.
Concerning Harris, while she has a sizable background in California politics and as a vice president, she is still in the process of introducing herself to the nation. The Trump campaign is using this truncated campaign to establish a narrative around Harris.
"Hillary Clinton was viewed as a symbol of experience and stability by voters, and she was known to many in a distorted manner," Democratic pollster Celinda Lake pointed out. "Harris, however, represents change."
Over the years, Clinton has contemplated the 2016 election, which saw her win nearly 3 million more votes than Trump but fall short in the Electoral College due to narrow losses in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Clinton also triumphed over Trump among women by 13 points, while Trump led her among White women by 9 points, as per CNN exit polls.
In her 2017 memoir "What Happened," Clinton admitted mistakes like labeling half of Trump's supporters as bigots and the use of a private email server, which sparked a politically damaging federal inquiry that then-FBI director James Comey reopened just days before the election. However, the investigation did not result in charges.
Since 2016, Clinton and Trump have continued to exchange barbs through interviews, speeches, and social media posts. Clinton has criticized Trump's attempts to present abortion as a state-level issue and has attempted to bolster Biden during the campaign before his withdrawal last month. Trump, meanwhile, has persistently called for Clinton's imprisonment during the 2020 campaign, though he has later claimed he did not.
"Hillary Clinton is a sore loser who cannot get over her crushing defeat at the hands of President Trump due to her Trump Derangement Syndrome and the fact that she cannot move past that demoralizing result," Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, stated.
Clinton might primarily concentrate on the 2024 election, yet the 2016 contest serves as a valuable lesson for Democrats.
According to Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, "She's probably the one who can emphasize the significance of everyone voting, considering what transpired in 2016, an overwhelming amount of individuals opted out."
Clinton's substantial warnings during her 2016 campaign ultimately materialized. She and abortion rights advocates predicted that Trump would appoint Supreme Court justices who'd reverse Roe v. Wade; the court, with three justices appointed by Trump, carried out this prediction in 2022's Dobbs decision. Moreover, Clinton warned of the alt-right's rise back in August 2016, something that four years later, groups like the Proud Boys would significantly influence in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
A surge in political activism
The 2016 election triggered a rise in women's political participation, fueled by their frustration over the failure to elect the first female president against Trump, who infamously bragged about sexually assaulting women on the "Access Hollywood" tape released a month before the election.
Trump's inauguration sparked global Women's March protests and initiated the formation of groups like Red, Wine, and Blue to harness that energy towards the 2018 midterms, where a record number of women ran and were elected to Congress.
EMILY's List, an organization that supports female politicians who advocate for abortion rights, experienced a significant increase in interest, with 42,000 women seeking to run for office before the 2018 midterms, up from almost 1,000 who sought assistance during the 2016 cycle.
Christina Reynolds, the executive director of EMILY's List, felt assured that America could soon elect a female president after witnessing such activity.
"I know women can secure election, and I know America will elect women, because they continue to do so," she said.
In 2020, several high-profile Democratic women sought the nomination, including Harris. Although none of them ultimately won, Biden's selection of Harris as his running mate furthered her future prospects – ones that arrived sooner than many anticipated.
CNN's MJ Lee contributed to this report.
Leah Daughtry, during her conversations with Clinton after the 2016 election, likely discussed the role of politics in the future, given Clinton's experiences as a political figure.
Cecile Richards, when talking about Hillary Clinton's focus on the future, compared her to a mother who moves past past mistakes and focuses on creating opportunities, a metaphor that highlights the impact of politics in shaping futures.
