1st woman elected to NC executive office teary-eyed during Clinton nomination

When North Carolina helped deliver the Democratic nomination to Clinton, North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall stood in the delegation soaking in the history.

“For me, this is a historic convention. It’s going to be an historic election and I hope a historic January of 2017,” she said.

Marshall holds a place in North Carolina history. In 1996, she became the first women elected to statewide executive office.

“A lot of young girls come up to me and say things like ‘do you think we’ll ever have a women president’? I always say yes, of course, but in my mind, I always thought we’re not making much progress,” Marshall said.

Clinton fell short of the Democratic nomination in 2008, but returned to run again and break through as the nominee.

‘There was just a wave of joy that came upon me and quiet satisfaction that came upon me, and then it turned into excitement,” Marshall said.

Familiar with trial and error, Marshall appreciates what it takes to succeed and watch others climb even higher.

“Let’s just move forward, build on other people’s shoulders. I’ve got strong shoulders, they’re old shoulders, but they’re strong and I want to build upon what I’ve done,” she said. “If I don’t cry, it will be amazing.”

Marshall said she did tear up Tuesday night when Clinton’s nomination became official.