PHOTO BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gives her thumbs up as she appears on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Thursday.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
Hillary Clinton may become the nation’s first female president, but support from women isn’t a lock.
While some local women say they’re pleased with the Democrats’ historic nominee, not everyone is convinced the 68-year-old former secretary of state can be trusted, prompting the “Hillarys’ Lies Matter” bumper sticker.
Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, a Republican, said she votes for the person, not the party. In this case, she will not support Clinton.
“I think she’s a criminal,” she said. “Setting up her personal email jeopardized the security of the United States.”
While FBI director James Comey said Clinton was “extremely careless” in using a private email server and raised questions about her judgment, the department recommended no criminal charges against her.
Emma Kane, 19, a Swampscott resident, said she believes the country could benefit from a female president, but doesn’t know if Clinton is the right woman for the job.
“I don’t know a lot about her,” Kane said. “All I’ve heard is that people say she’s a liar.”
Still, lots of women see Clinton as role model for her decades of work on behalf of children and families while others are caught up in the history that a Clinton presidency would bring.
“I think it’s amazing,” said Carol DiMento, an attorney. “It’s historic.”
She said Clinton has worked a lifetime to make the lives of everyone better. She also respects that Clinton didn’t give up after failing to become the nominee in 2008, when Barack Obama was chosen. She added that the emails were a mistake, but said Americans can’t look at yesterday and must look to the future.
Busayna Abdelkarim, 20, of Lynn, said she wants Clinton to win.
“She’s going to encourage all the women that they can do the same thing,” she said.
Raisa Ferreras, 21, of Lynn, said Clinton will do a better job than Trump, and the country needs someone who understands that our country is comprised of people from all over the world, not just one specific place.
Sydney Pierce, a member of the Swampscott Democratic Committee, said she supports Clinton, citing her lifetime of public service working for healthcare and for the betterment of people, particularly women and children.
Pierce said the support Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is getting shows the difficulty people have accepting a potential female president. She said it baffles her that people might consider him over Clinton. The emails are “blown way out of proportion,” she said, adding that Clinton is being held to a way higher standard than every man has ever been held to.
“People are having a really hard time imagining a woman in charge of the United States, the greatest nation in the world,” Pierce said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at gcawley@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.