SC Bernie Sanders delegates welcome apologies for leaked DNC emails
Apologies kept coming Tuesday as the Democratic National Convention sought to recover from the fallout of leaked emails that suggest party leaders favored Hillary Clinton and worked behind the scenes against the Bernie Sanders campaign.
South Carolina state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, who serves as the DNC's Southern Regional Caucus chair, expressed her regrets Tuesday morning to the delegations from South Carolina and Louisiana for actions she described as inappropriate.
"There's no excuse for it," Cobb-Hunter said.
Sanders delegates from South Carolina greeted her apology with applause and shouted "Thank you!"
Cobb-Hunter then said family members should choose to love each other even though all families suffer from some degree of dysfunction. The same is true for Democrats, she said.
Dan Hazard, a Sanders delegate from South Carolina's fourth congressional district, appreciated the apology.
“For me, that was a good step to take toward building party unity, so I feel there’s at least a desire to reach out to us and in a real way make us feel that we are important," Hazard said, noting that he'll continue pushing the Democratic party to embrace the ideals for which Sanders has advocated.
The resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was a step in the right direction, but everyone who was implicated in the email leak should resign, including interim chair Donna Brazile, Hazard said.
Deborah Adams, a Sanders delegate from South Carolina's seventh congressional district, said she thinks most people in her camp will eventually come around and back Clinton, despite their strong emotional attachment to Sanders.
“We’re passionate. We’ve invested a lot in it, and we have a lot of people that are first-time participants in the political process," Adams said. "To make that switch really quick is hard, and it’s hard for a lot of people."
South Carolina sent 53 delegates to the DNC in Philadelphia, including Hazard and Adams, who are among 14 casting ballots Tuesday for Sanders.
This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 5:26 PM.