Hillary Clinton became the first woman presidential nominee of the Democratic Party Tuesday, amid a major backlash and anger against the party’s leadership from Bernie Sanders supporters after email leaks showed that DNC staff tried to sabotage his campaign in favor of Clinton’s.
RELATED:
DNC Heads Called Sanders 'Stupid,' a 'Mess' and a 'Liar': Leak
Delegates from South Dakota gave Clinton 15 votes, ensuring that she had more than the 2,383 votes needed to win the nomination during a state-by-state roll call at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.
After a tough battle with Democratic rival U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton is now the party's standard-bearer against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election.
While Sanders has endorsed Clinton, a former first lady and U.S. senator, many of his supporters protested in Philadelphia against the party leadership's apparent backing of her during the bitter Democratic primary fight.
Sanders drew a fervent following of youth and progressives in the U.S. during a primary campaign that called for a tough hand on Wall Street and more aggressive steps to counter social inequality.
The convention's second day is aimed at highlighting Clinton's work on issues such as women, families and health care and as the country's top diplomat, a Clinton campaign official told Reuters.
It will include a prime-time speech by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the roll call vote officially nominating Clinton to be the first woman U.S. president.
RELATED:
teleSUR Host Abby Martin Released After Violent Arrest at DNC
However, the highlight of the evening will be several speeches by the mothers of Black people who have been killed at the hands of police over the past few years. The list of keynote speakers includes the mothers of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Dontre Hamilton, Jordan Davis, Michael Brown and Sandra Bland.
A local police union said Clinton should be “ashamed” of herself for giving the mothers a voice.
In a statement issued before the convention John McNesby, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 in Philadelphia, said his union was "shocked, saddened and insulted."
Meanwhile it does not seem that Clinton will have an easy general election as her Republican opponent Donald Trump pulled ahead in at least one opinion poll Monday. A CNN/ORC opinion poll gave him a 48 percent to 45 percent lead over Clinton in a two-way presidential contest.