PHILADELPHIA: Hillary Clinton made history Tuesday by becoming the first woman to win a major US political party’s White House nomination, earning the backing of convention Democrats and prime-time plaudits from a presidential superstar: her husband Bill.

The 68-year-old former first lady, senator and secretary of state took a monumental step on her quest to become America’s first female commander-in-chief, by besting party challenger Bernie Sanders.

After a tumultuous convention opening which saw Sanders and Clinton supporters trade jeers and chants, loud cheers erupted as Clinton passed the 2,382-delegate threshold needed for the nomination, setting up a November showdown with Republican Donald Trump.

Hours later, another historical moment greeted the Clintons, when a former president took the stage to intimately make the case that his wife was the compassionate and capable change catalyst America needed.

“She always wants to move the ball forward. That is just who she is,” Bill Clinton said of his wife, keeping an audience of thousands of delegates rapt throughout his 45-minute speech, which marked the convention’s halfway point.

“For this time, Hillary is uniquely qualified to seize the opportunities and reduce the risks we face, and she is still the best darn change-maker I have ever known.”

Although the roll call outcome was a foregone conclusion, the state-by-state vote saw rowdy displays on the convention floor.—AFP