Minnesota delegates look forward to Clinton's historic speech

Sue Moravec of Shakopee came to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia as a Hillary Clinton delegate. She has enormous respect for the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state's perseverance.

"Hillary Clinton grew up in the same generation I grew up in where women were contained, controlled [and] put down," Moravec said.

And that oppression remains a problem, Moravec says, as evidenced by Clinton's treatment as a presidential candidate.

It will be a historic moment in Philadelphia Thursday night when Clinton becomes the first woman in the nation's history to accept a major party nomination for president.

Several of Minnesota's Democratic delegates are looking forward to her acceptance speech, and some say it's a long time coming for a woman to be nominated for the country's highest office.

"How many white men have been president — 43? Exactly," said 22-year-old Minnesota delegate Sean Kehren. "The 44th is the one who changed the cycle, and the 45th will also be another one to show that's someone other than a white male can actually be president."

Kehren has been the subject of both admiration and ridicule since cameras caught him sobbing on the convention floor when Bernie Sanders spoke earlier this week. Despite his deep connection with Sanders' revolution, Kehren said he's ready to cheer on Clinton. He predicts she'll be the next president and that, he said, is extremely exciting.

Marge Hoffa, a 59-year-old delegate from Minnetonka, said she's extremely excited for Clinton's nomination acceptance speech. She notes that she lived through times when abortion was against the law and women were considered subservient to men.

"To see Hillary Clinton become the nominee, my daughters are now seeing that a woman can become president too," said Hoffa, who also serves as vice chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

To hear more from the Minnesota Democratic delegation, use the audio player above.