Democrats’ tribute to Hillary: nomination at convention

The symbolic move, announced on Thursday in a joint statement with Barack Obama, is intended to soothe a lingering rift with Hillary’s supporters and to unify the party. With Hillary scheduled to deliver a prime-time speech in Denver, a state-by-state roll call vote increases her time in the convention spotlight.

“I am convinced that honouring Senator Clinton’s historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion,” Obama said in a statement.

The decision was brokered after long negotiations by advisers to both senators, with Obama ultimately signing off on the plan on Wednesday. The former rivals never spoke directly about the matter, but advisors said Obama encouraged Hillary to agree to place her name into nomination as a nod to the historic nature of her candidacy.

In her portion of the joint statement on Thursday, Hillary left no doubt about who was the party’s nominee. “With every voice heard and the party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama President of the US and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again,” she said.

While this is hardly the first time a losing candidate’s name will be placed in nomination — Mo Udall persuaded Jimmy Carter to allow it in 1976 — the duration and intensity of the Obama-Hillary nominating fight created wounds that have yet to heal among some Democratic activists. Many backers of Hillary have been vigorously pushing for her candidacy to be validated through a roll-call vote.