Superdelegate from Salinas preparing for the Democratic National Convention

Thousands of delegates will be in Philadelphia next week for the 2016 Democratic National Convention and among them will be a superdelegate from Salinas.

Shawn Bagley has been waiting eight years to watch Hillary Clinton accept the Democratic presidential nomination and now she is on track to becoming the official nominee.

“My goal was to nominate the first female president by a major party in the history of this country and I met my goal and I worked hard for it,” said Bagley.

Bagley has been a local activist for about a decade and has been the past four years traveling the country campaigning for Clinton as a member of the Democratic National Committee.

“It’s the highest elected position for an activist.”

It’s a position Bagley also had to campaign for.

“I didn’t run just from Monterey, I had to run a statewide campaign so I’m elected by the State of California. Executive board members of the California Democratic Party vote for the DNC members,” explained Bagley.

Bagley said Clinton is the reason he became a superdelegate in the first place because he knew he had to take action when she lost the nomination to then Senator Barack Obama in 2008.

“Superdelegates left Hillary for Barack Obama so I said to myself I need to become a superdelegate because I am not ever leaving Hillary.”

That is why Bagley said he understands the passion Bernie Sanders supporters have for the Vermont Senator. Many Sanders supporters are even trying to convince Bagley to vote for Sanders at the convention.

“I have over 13,000 pleas from Bernie supporters who have asked me to change my vote my unpledged superdelegate vote to Bernie.”

Bagley said he will still stand by Hillary and he believes every superdelegate on the convention floor will do the same.

“Everyone in that room will affirm Hillary Clinton who will bring the party together”