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NC native helps shape Clinton's message

When Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks, a North Carolina native helps to get her message out.

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By
Cullen Browder
PHILADELPHIA — When Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks, a North Carolina native helps to get her message out.

"She's a lot of fun. Hopefully, people will get to see a lot more of that, maybe at the convention," said Christina Reynolds, the deputy communications director for Clinton's campaign nationally.

Reynolds grew up in Jacksonville, the daughter of a Marine, went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and jumped into Democratic politics.

"It's pretty much the same for all of us, the people we know and the people we grew up with, that's who we're fighting for," Reynolds said.

She calls her boss a fighter, a listener and an accomplished leader who happens to also be a woman.

"I love the idea of having the first woman president," Reynolds said. "I have a 7-year-old niece in Raleigh, and she's pointed out the placemat with all the presidents – they're all boys, and it's time that we got a girl in there."

North Carolina residents also are making a mark on the convention stage.

Jesse Lipson and his wife, Brooks Bell, are Triangle entrepreneurs who were invited to share their business stories at the convention.

Lipson, an executive at software firm Citrix Systems, criticized the negative impact of House Bill 2 during his Monday night speech.

"Businesses have choices about where they're going to plant themselves, and employees have choices about where they're going to move, and one thing that's 100 percent clear is that it's having a huge effect on North Carolina," Lipson said of the controversial state law that bars discrimination protection for gay and transgender people.

Bell, who founded a firm that helps large consumer brands optimize their online presence and co-founded business incubators HQ Raleigh and ThinkHouse Raleigh, also mentioned the adverse effects of House Bill 2 on Wednesday evening, but she spent most of her time sharing her experience as an entrepreneur and how that relates to Clinton's story.

"It's definitely a big honor. I was really surprised and delighted to be part of this really historic event," Bell said.

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