It may not show in the polls, but presidential candidate Hillary Clinton appears to have improved her standing among members of the Democratic National Committee that met last week in Minneapolis.
Lori Sellner, one of seven members of the Minnesota contingent to the DNC, said she saw a lot of excitement generated by Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders but Clinton offered something new. “What I was seeing from Secretary Clinton — I think she’s doing a better job of being more personal and personable,” Sellner said. “I like seeing that a lot.”
A report in the New York Times offered a similar observation: “'I had kind of low expectations for Hillary Clinton: Almost all of the clips I’d seen on television showed her as kind of stiff, distant and reading her remarks,' said Rick Boylan, a Democratic national committeeman from Florida. Instead, he said, 'she was on point, direct, strong, and spoke from the heart' as she delivered lines, like 'the party of Lincoln has become the party of Trump,' that delighted Mr. Boylan.”
Sellner, in essence, agrees. “I had always heard from different people who had more one on one interaction with her, that she was more personable than she was in speeches,” she said. “That is coming through a little more.”
The approximately 700 Democratic super-delegates like Boylan and Sellner are party influencers. Sellner said she’s often approached by volunteers who are interested in joining a campaign effort. She looks for candidates that will keep the volunteer base energized.
Sellner said she saw that sort of enthusiasm generated by both Clinton and Sanders. And she gave a nod to former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley. “I was impressed with Chafee’s record in Rhode Island and O’Malley’s delivery certainly excited the crowd,” she said.
Sellner remains uncommitted. “I think I’m still holding out for a debate or two,” Sellner said. “I also talked to people from Alaska and South Dakota and other states who said they haven’t signed on the line yet.”
The first debate among the Democratic candidates for president will be held October 13 in Nevada.