Hillary Clinton’s Hollywood camp is awash in euphoria following the Associated Press’ historic announcement on Monday that the former secretary of state has clinched the Democratic nomination.
After a year-long primary battle, with its endless ups and downs, Clinton’s backers in the entertainment industry are finally breathing a sigh of relief.
“I got chills, truthfully,” David Schneiderman, co-owner and founder of Seismic Productions and a prominent Clinton supporter, told TheWrap. “She’s the first woman to win the nomination of a major party. It’s gigantic.”
Schneiderman was at Clinton’s fundraising concert at the Greek Theater Monday night when he got the AP blast declaring Clinton the Democrats’ presumptive nominee.
“Everybody looked at each other saying, ‘She got the numbers! She got the delegates!’” Schneiderman recalled.
Clinton, once expected to breeze through the primaries, claimed the so-called “magic number” of delegates needed to secure victory in her protracted struggle against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to an AP tally.
“I was very excited,” Jeff Danis, president of DPN Talent, whose agency represents Patrick Stewart and Ron Perlman, told TheWrap. “The atmosphere at the event was electric. Everyone was talking about how she’ll be the first female president of United States.”
Dana Perlman, a Los Angeles-based lawyer and prominent Clinton fundraiser told TheWrap, “While I don’t like to count my chickens before they hatch, we had finished our breakfast omlette and were ready for lunch.”
Clinton was already widely expected to clinch the nomination on Tuesday, as California, New Jersey and four other states cast their primary votes. But on Monday, the AP declared Clinton the de facto winner after getting commitments from superdelegates over the weekend.
While Clinton’s Hollywood camp is feeling optimistic, many say they are also being cautious. Some worry the AP’s premature announcement could have a negative effect on Clinton’s numbers, making some voters complacent just as the former first lady seeks to win the California primary on Tuesday.
“After the euphoric moment, it dawned on us that this could hurt her,” Schneiderman said. “It’s big news, but it feels like a cloud is hovering over it and it may
Others also worry that the news will push Sanders, who already pledged to continue his campaign, to fight even harder.
“Bernie Sanders continues to attack Clinton and divide the party as opposed to unifying it,” Perlman said. “It’s time for everyone to pick up an oar and row in the same direction now.”
Clinton’s backers say that, while Sanders has done a good job steering the conversation toward a more progressive agenda, every minute he stays in the race is essentially helping Donald Trump.
“I’ve always been very complimentary towards Bernie,” L.A.-based Democratic strategist and Clinton supporter Donna Bojarsky told TheWrap. “He’s brought a lot to this race. But I will say this: No one will be helped by a contested convention.”
However Bojarsky says it may not have to come to that.
“The voices within the Democratic party will get louder and louder,” she said. ” President Obama is already chomping the bits. He wants to go out there and campaign for Hillary and I think he’ll be an extremely effective campaigner.”