Pennsylvania Clinton delegates anticipate solidarity — with a dash of bitterness

After accepting her party’s nomination to be the Democratic candidate for president Thursday night, Hillary Clinton will rally Friday at Temple University.

Then she’s off on a bus tour of Pennsylvania, a swing state where Democrats will have to take the energy they gathered at the convention back to their communities.

Seated in the front and center section of the convention floor Thursday night, Pennsylvania’s Democratic delegates said they’re mostly united around Clinton.

But Bernie Sanders delegate Pete Winebrake, an attorney who represents workers on wage claim lawsuits, said he worries Clinton will ignore issues of income inequality in the effort to court moderate Republicans.

“I know a lot about my working clients who are struggling to survive on $8, $9, $10 an hour,” he said. “It’s just not realistic that someone could have any semblance of even a working class life.”

While Winebrake said he intends to vote for Clinton, he said he isn’t sure he will actively campaign for her.

Some disappointed Sanders supporters have vowed they will never vote for Clinton.

And that’s OK, said former Philadelphia City Councilman Marian Tasco.

“You know, you’re always gonna have some diehards who really fought for Bernie Sanders, for what they believed in, and they won’t come over,” she said. “I don’t believe we’ll get 100 percent. But we’ll take 90 percent.”

In order to win Pennsylvania, Tasco said, Clinton will need to do well in Philadelphia. So the former city lawmaker will meet with party officials next week to set a strategy for getting out the Democratic vote in the city.

Further afield, Chuck Pascal will be doing his part to drum up votes for Clinton in Armstrong County.  Many voters in the rural area north of Pittsburgh are expected to support Republican Donald Trump. But Pascal, who was a Sanders delegate, said his goal is to make sure Clinton gets as many votes as possible.

“I think things are going fine right now. In terms of Pennsylvania in particular, I’d say 99 percent of the Bernie delegates are united behind Clinton at this point,” he said.

Pennsylvania is a key state for Clinton, and she and her surrogates are likely to be in the area often between now and November.