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Top 5 things to look for at the Democratic National Convention this year

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop at Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, March 21, 2016.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop at Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, March 21, 2016.

With all the frenzy surrounding the Republican race, it's been easy to forget that the Democratic race actually involved a socialist and an FBI investigation at times. 

But that will all come to the forefront of the nation's attention at the Democratic National Convention, which will visit Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 25 - 28.

Although Clinton's Benghazi troubles caused her issues early in her campaign, the FBI's acquittal has started her back toward earning the country's trust. Here are five things to expect from the recently cleared Clinton at the convention.

5. Attempts to engage the young vote

Remember when Hillary Clinton made a joke about Snapchat? Attempts to connect to the younger voters out there have not tracked well for her. 

According to a Harvard study from April, Millennials wanted Bernie Sanders more than anything. In fact, they loved Sanders so much that he was the only candidate to come out with a net positive rating from voters aged 18 - 29.

When given the choice between Donald Trump and Clinton, though, Millennials chose Trump, the study reported.

4. Rehashing old issues

If there's one thing that never happens when discussing the Clintons, it's letting sleeping dogs lie. Two decades later and Monica Lewinsky still manages to come up in debate, as seen in a C-Span broadcast hosted on The Huffington Post. 

Expect Clinton to continue to bring up old news events, such as Benghazi and her missing emails. Even though she always manages to come out on top of these issues, she never can seem to put them to rest.

3. Clinton's VP pick

Clinton has not disclosed anything about her choice in running mate throughout the course of her campaign as of yet.

Some outlets speculated on Elizabeth Warren as a potential running mate for Clinton, although she has been offered a speaking spot at the DNC, earlier than when most vice presidential candidates speak, The New York Times reported.

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2. Campaign promises

So far, Clinton hasn't publicly made many campaign promises. Rather, she's spent a great deal of time getting herself out of trouble and taking jabs at the GOP. 

Clinton spoke in Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, July 13 to do more of the same. Although she implied the U.S. government is still a "house divided," she did not bring any solutions to the table. The DNC is the time for her to do just that. 

However, her campaign website has a list of issues to tackle if she gets in the White House. While she hasn't spoken at length on these issues before, it is safe to expect Clinton and other DNC speakers will address at least a few of them.

1. A grab for Bernie Sanders' supporters

After Sanders endorsed Clinton on Tuesday, July 12, some Democratic voters had to think about voting for the women they've seen as the opposition for the majority of this race. 

Now, Sanders supporters could go a long way in deciding the election by swinging toward either candidate, which will be a tough decision for many. 

Clinton has not exactly seen eye-to-eye with Sanders, who once called Clinton "unqualified" to be president, leaving his supporters stuck between a rock and a hard place following his endorsement in which he said she would make an "outstanding president."

Clinton is, of course, seeking the votes of former Sanders supporters going into the convention.

Now that the campaign is a strictly one-on-one affair — barring a contested GOP convention — Clinton and Trump will finally be able to focus on campaigning on behalf of their parties and making history.

Never before has this country had to choose between a former first lady and a political outsider from New York for president, but this election cycle has not exactly been known for its predictability.


Reach the reporter at jwbowlin@asu.edu or follow @mrjoshuabowling on Twitter.

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