Democrats Launch Operation to Humanize Hillary Clinton

5 minute read

The stories piled up like love letters. The 9/11 survivor whom Hillary Clinton helped get medical care. The former intern whose legal career was launched through a Senate internship for foster kids. The young female politician who saluted a down-to-earth mentor who likes to binge on HGTV and Buffalo wings.

The official business on the second night of the Democratic convention was to formally crown the party’s nominee. Then the real work began. Inside Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, the Clinton campaign trotted out a procession of character witnesses to testify about the candidate’s strength, kindness and tenacity. The tributes were meant to serve a simple, yet somehow perpetually elusive goal: humanize Hillary Clinton.

Clinton aides like to say that the cautious candidate the public sees is completely different from the woman her friends and allies know. “She is the most famous, least-known person in the country,” says Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri. If there is an overriding task of the convention this week, it is to showcase the stories of citizens Clinton has touched across a sprawling life in public service.

This is a salient part of every convention: beyond the pageantry and protocol, the spectacle and the speeches, the goal is to paint a picture of a person the public is willing to watch perform from their living rooms over the next four or eight years. But it is an especially critical challenge for Clinton as she makes the turn toward the general-election battle against Donald Trump.

Read More: Transcript of Bill Clinton’s Speech at the Democratic Convention

Supporters of Hillary Clinton cheer at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia.
Supporters of Hillary Clinton cheer at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia.Ben Lowy for TIME

On the day that she became the first woman in history to be nominated for President by a major party, Clinton’s public image was as bad as it’s been. In a CNN poll conducted last week, 68% of respondents said the Democratic nominee was not trustworthy. A separate CBS News poll found almost identical figures. Every presidential campaign has its own hurdles to surmount, be they demographic or strategic or biographical. This is hers.

So the architects of the Philadelphia program didn’t skimp on the storytelling. They blocked out nearly all of Tuesday — and part of Monday — for testimonials from a diverse cast of ordinary Americans whom Clinton has helped over the years.

Lauren Manning, the 9/11 survivor, met Clinton while the former stockbroker was convalescing from burns. “Hillary showed up, she walked into my hospital room and she took my bandaged hand into her own,” Manning recalled, praising Clinton as “a hell of a tough person … kind, caring, loyal. She had my back. This is the Hillary Clinton I want you to know.”

The testimonials traced the arc of Clinton’s long career. There was Dustin Parsons, a fifth-grade teacher from Arkansas, who invoked the “Chelsea test: if it wasn’t good enough for her daughter, it wasn’t good enough for any child in America.” Kate Burdick, a lawyer from Philly, spoke of Clinton’s quiet crusade for juvenile justice. Jelani Freeman, the former Senate intern, talked about how Clinton handed him a lifeline after a childhood spent bouncing between foster homes, using a trash bag as a suitcase.

In a powerful scene, three bereaved black mothers offered haunting recollections about how Clinton had helped them grieve over the loss of their sons and daughter. “She doesn’t build walls around her heart,” said Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old black man murdered by a white man who objected to him playing loud music at a gas station. “Not only did she listen to our problems, she invited us to become a part of the solution, and that’s what we’re going to do.

“Clinton will help us protect one another,” McBath continued, “so that this club of heartbroken mothers stops growing.”

All these voices followed an opening night when organizers sought to put Clinton’s humanity at center stage. Anastasia Somoza, a former intern who was born with cerebral palsy, talked about meeting Clinton during a White House visit at age 9, the start of a mentorship that stretches across decades now. Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in the NBA, recalled coming out to Clinton before his teammates. Karla Ortiz, an 11-year-old from Nevada, described meeting Clinton at a campaign stop and telling the presidential candidate that she was afraid her undocumented parents would be deported.

Valiente — brave — that’s what Hillary Clinton called me when I told her I was worried my parents would be deported,” the young girl recalled. “Hillary Clinton told me that she would do everything she could to help us. She told me that I didn’t have to do the worrying because she will do the worrying for me.”

Last of all on Tuesday night came the man who knows her best. Bill Clinton told the long, winding story of their courtship, from New Haven to Little Rock and finally to Washington. “My daughter had the best mother in the world,” he told the packed hall. “She’s insatiably curious, she’s a natural leader, she’s a good organizer, and she is the best change-maker I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

Hillary and Bill Clinton’s Political Romance in Photos

Hillary and Bill Clinton have been married 40 years— much of it spent in the political spotlight. Here, Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton married at a small ceremony on Oct. 11, 1975 - present Courtesy William J. Clinton Presidential Library
Hillary and Bill Clinton have been married 40 years— much of it spent in the political spotlight. Here, Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton married at a small ceremony on Oct. 11, 1975 - present Courtesy William J. Clinton Presidential LibraryCourtesy William J. Clinton Presidential Library
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Rodham hold their week-old baby Chelsea on March 5, 1980.
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Rodham hold their week-old baby Chelsea on March 5, 1980. Donald R. Broyles—AP
Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton celebrate his victory in the Democratic runoff in Little Rock, Ark. on June 8, 1982.
Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton celebrate his victory in the Democratic runoff in Little Rock, Ark. on June 8, 1982.AP
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton hugs his wife Hillary Clinton after she introduced him to well wishers at a downtown Chicago hotel, March 10, 1992.
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton hugs his wife Hillary Clinton after she introduced him to well wishers at a downtown Chicago hotel, March 10, 1992. Ralf-Finn Hestoft—AP
Rodham Clinton Gore
Hillary Rodham Clinton sits on the lap of her husband, democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton left, as she jokes with vice presidential candidate Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, during a brief rest on their bus in Durham, N.C., on Oct. 26, 1992. Stephen Savoia—AP
Bill Clinton & Hillary Rodham Clinton
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton comforts his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton on the set of the news program '60 Minutes' after a stage light unexpectedly broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down on Jan. 26, 1992. CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
President Bill Clinton dances with First Lady Hillary Clinton on stage on Jan. 20, 1993 in Washington. Eleven inaugural balls were held on the same evening in honor of President Clinton's election.
President Bill Clinton dances with First Lady Hillary Clinton on stage on Jan. 20, 1993 in Washington. Eleven inaugural balls were held on the same evening in honor of President Clinton's election.Diana Walker—Liaison/Getty Images
Massachussets: U.S. President Bill Clinton (R) and
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton give each other a hug while playing golf at the Mink Meadows Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard Aug. 27,1993 in Massachusetts. J. David Ake—AFP/Getty Images
Bill Clinton
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton cut vegetables at the Covenant Baptist Church in Washington, on Nov. 24, 1993. Doug Mills—AP
President Clinton And Family On Vacation On Martha's Vineyard
President Bill Clinton bikes with his wife, Hillary Clinton, during their vacation on Martha's Vineyard in 1994. Evan Richman—The Boston Globe/Getty Images
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton drink Coca-Cola at Moscow's Coca-Cola refreshments plant on May 11, 1995.
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton drink Coca-Cola at Moscow's Coca-Cola refreshments plant on May 11, 1995. Greg Gibson—AP
President Bill Clinton puts an arm around his wife, Hillary Clinton, while watching Old Faithful erupt at Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., on Aug. 25, 1995. The first family visited several Yellowstone sites while on vacation.
President Bill Clinton puts an arm around his wife, Hillary Clinton, while watching Old Faithful erupt at Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., on Aug. 25, 1995. The first family visited several Yellowstone sites while on vacation. Doug Mills—AP
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton share a moment during an East Room ceremony at the White House on July 17, 1996.
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton share a moment during an East Room ceremony at the White House on July 17, 1996.Ron Edmonds—AP
CLINTON
President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton look at each other as they opened the White House Conference on Child Care Thursday Oct. 23, 1997 in the East Room of the White House. J. Scott Applewhite—AP
CLINTON
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visits President Bill Clinton on March 14, 1997 at Bethesda Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. after he underwent surgery on his knee. AP
BILL CLINTON HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, squeezes the chin of President Bill Clinton during the kick-off rally for The President's Summit in Philadelphia on April 27, 1997. Tim Shaffer—AP
File photo dated 04 January 1998 shows US Presiden
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton dance on the beach of Megan Bay, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands shortly after taking a swim on Jan. 4, 1998.Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images
Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton watches President Bill Clinton as he thanks Democratic members of the House of Representatives who voted against impeachment on Dec. 19, 1998, following the Lewinsky scandal.Susan Walsh—AP
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton embrace during the New York State Senate luncheon on July 29, 2000 in New York City.
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton embrace during the New York State Senate luncheon on July 29, 2000 in New York City.Pablo Martinex Monsivais—AP
US First Lady and Senatorial candidate fopr New Yo
Senatorial candidate for New York and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton with husband President Bill Clinton pose for photos with the workers at Gianelli's Italian Sausages at the State Fair on Sept. 2, 2000 in Syracuse, N.Y.Tim Sloan—AFP/Getty Images
Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton of Ne
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton smile after she won her second term, during a rally held by New York Democrats, in New York, on Nov. 7, 2006. Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bill Clinton
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is hugged by her husband, former President Bill Clinton as he introduces her during a campaign rally in Louisville, Ky. on May 19, 2008. Elise Amendola—AP
Bill And Hillary Clinton Lower Times Square 2009 New Years Eve Ball
Former President Bill Clinton and then Secretary of State-elect Hillary Clinton celebrate the beginning of the year 2009 during the ceremony to lower the Times Square New Year's Eve ball in Times Square on Jan. 1, 2009 in New York.Jemal Countess—Getty Images
Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband former U.S. president Bill Clinton embrace during a primary night event on June 7, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York after Hillary Clinton surpassed the number of delegates needed to become the democratic nominee.
Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband former U.S. president Bill Clinton embrace during a primary night event on June 7, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York after Hillary Clinton surpassed the number of delegates needed to become the democratic nominee.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

It was a carefully arranged series of testimonials that placed the pieces of Hillary Clinton’s life into the context the campaign wanted. Millions of people at home, and even many of the delegates in Philadelphia, were surely hearing such tales for the first time. The question for Clinton’s campaign is whether it will be enough to burnish the tarnished image of the most famous, least-known woman in the country.

— With reporting from Zeke Miller in Philadelphia

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Write to Alex Altman / Philadelphia at alex_altman@timemagazine.com