Columbia mayor, others from SC join in historic vote 'for the girls'

As Democrats made history Tuesday by nominating Hillary Clinton as the first woman presidential nominee of a major political party, South Carolinians celebrated the moment as a milestone for women’s rights.

Shortly after the Clinton’s nomination became official, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin told thousands of delegates from across the country that he supports his fellow Democrat’s candidacy because she is a good role model for his two daughters.

When his older daughter, Bethany, met Clinton last year, the girl shook hands with confidence, Benjamin said.

“Hillary, in all her wisdom, told ‘Bethie' she was the smartest 10-year-old in the world,” Benjamin added. “Who was I to disagree?”

In the same way that seeing Barack Obama become the first black president eight years ago bolstered his belief that there’s no ceiling to what he can accomplish, Benjamin said he hopes his daughters will see a woman in the Oval Office and know there is nothing they can’t accomplish.

"I want them to know that sugar and spice are nice, but courage, intelligence and the will to lead, that's what women are made of."

To drive the lesson home, Benjamin drafted a letter last fall to his younger daughter, Jordan Grace, which the Clinton campaign published on its website.

In part, that letter reads: "If you study hard, love your family, serve your community, are never afraid to lead, and continue to follow the model of your mother, your grandmothers and women like Secretary Clinton, nothing should ever stop you from achieving your dreams."

Even some supporters of Bernie Sanders saw Tuesday’s nomination of the first woman as something to celebrate. S.C. delegate Jane Pulling, a lifelong feminist with two adult daughters, said the nomination is liberating.

“It’s a powerful message that women can do and be anything they want, that we are strong enough and smart enough,” Pulling said on the convention floor, adding she thinks Clinton won her party’s nomination “fair and square.”

Marguerite Willis, a Clinton delegate from South Carolina’s 7th District who worked for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, said winning in November would be more than just a symbolic victory.

“I'm here to round out the experience for myself and for all the mothers, daughters, sisters, women who strive every day for pay equality and to protect their constitutional rights to control their own health issues,” Willis said.

A Donald Trump presidency would be bad for women, Willis said, adding her vote Tuesday was “for the girls.”

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 10:06 PM.