Elections

Clinton camp says its convention is outperforming Trump’s

By Lesley Clark

lclark@mcclatchydc.com

July 28, 2016 10:39 AM

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reaches for President Barack Obama as she steps on stage after President Obama's speech during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Wednesday, July 27, 2016. J. Scott Applewhite AP
PHILADELPHIA

It’s not over yet, but Hillary Clinton’s campaign is already looking to claim victory with this week’s Democratic National Convention.

When it comes to TV viewership, the four-day event here is apparently outdrawing last week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said.

The Democrats had “record-setting viewership” on the first two convention nights – which included speeches by Sen. Bernie Sanders and former President Bill Clinton – and it “appears we had a lot more viewers” than the Republicans, Palmieri said.

The DNC outperformed the RNC on the second night of the convention by 5 million viewers, Variety reported.

“It’s important that, after what the country saw from the Republican convention, that the country has a chance to see from Democrats why Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person to be president,” Palmieri said.

July 27, 2016
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Palmieri rejected GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s contention that he was joking about welcoming the Russians to hack Clinton’s missing State Department emails.

“Suggesting that a foreign country, in this case a semi-hostile state, conduct espionage against an opponent is not sarcastic. It’s never a joke; it’s something we should all take seriously,” she said.

The convention wraps up tonight with Clinton’s speech, which campaign manager Robby Mook said would pull together themes of Clinton’s story, contrasting it with Trump’s.

“This election is really a moment of reckoning for the voters,” Mook said. “Are we going to succumb to some very powerful forces that are dividing us or are we going to come together to solve problems?”

Clinton observers will hear some familiar themes: “You will hear her talk about how it takes a village,” Mook said, a reference to Clinton’s 1992 book of that title.

Mook, too, pointed to a few differences from last week’s convention: Unlike Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who skipped the convention in Cleveland, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf – “the governor of a must-win state” – will speak at the convention. Also speaking: a former Reagan administration official.

Lesley Clark: 202-383-6054, @lesleyclark