PHILADELPHIA —Hillary Clinton's campaign is in talks with Bernie Sanders about giving the Vermont senator a larger role at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night in a bid to heal rifts in the party, as her team seeks to reintroduce her to voters still deeply skeptical of her candidacy.
The possibilities include having Sanders formally nominate Clinton during a scheduled roll-call vote — a move designed as a show of unity designed to quell potential demonstrations on the convention floor by the senator's supporters.
In 2008, at a similar moment of stress between rival Democratic camps, Clinton came to the convention floor, interrupted the roll call vote and moved to unanimously nominate Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate.
By the end of Tuesday, Clinton is poised to make history as the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party. But Democrats also want to first reverse sustained negative perceptions of her and on Tuesday will rely on people that the Clinton campaign says have been touched by her decades of work as a lawyer, first lady, senator and the nation's top diplomat to make the case.
Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta said Tuesday that Democrats "need to move on" from infighting over the outcome of the primary, which saw Clinton soundly defeat challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders in both votes and delegates.
The comments came after a chaotic day marred by intraparty squabbling on the floor of the Democratic convention and in backroom negotiations between the Clinton campaign and outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The first session of the convention was repeatedly marred by the shouts and boos of Sanders supporters who repeatedly interrupted speakers in the hall.
The former president is poised to address a Democratic convention as a political spouse for the first time. Clinton — who could soon become the country's first "first man" — has been a Democratic convention staple for more than a quarter century. His 1988 keynote address was widely panned as a meandering, boring speech, but his 1992 nomination acceptance speech buoyed his struggling campaign. In more recent years, the former president has served as a political character witness, most notably for Obama at his 2012 convention.
Wasserman Schultz also remained in Philadelphia, showing up Tuesday morning at a brunch hosted by lobbyist Heather Podesta and packed with lawmakers and top Democratic players. A steady line of people came by to hug her and ask her if she was holding up. She said she was.
The outgoing chairman declined to be interviewed about the drama surrounding her, but stated unequivocally she was remaining in Philadelphia all week.
Democrats began their presidential nominating convention Monday with a struggle to fully unite behind Clinton, following a dramatic day of intraparty squabbling and protests.
But by the end of the evening — after back-to-back-to-back speeches by first lady Michelle Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Sanders — the party began to focus more on defeating Republican nominee Donald Trump than on fighting among themselves.
The program featured Trump in absentia, in video highlight reels of controversial statements he has made. Democrats used Trump's past insults to tee up speakers representing some of the most offended groups, including women, the disabled and immigrants.
Trump was watching the turmoil and the convention speeches, and needled Clinton, Warren and Sanders via Twitter.
"Bernie Sanders totally sold out to Crooked Hillary Clinton. All of that work, energy and money, and nothing to show for it! Waste of time," he wrote.
Abby Phillip, Lois Romano, Vanessa Williams and John Wagner contributed to this story.