Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) The rain fell relentlessly on the convention center in Columbia on Saturday morning as Democrats from all parts of South Carolina flooded their party's state convention to see Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speak.

Addressing a convention hall of more than 800 delegates from around The Palmetto State, the group comprised some of the most notable potential candidates to seek the party's nomination for President in 2016.

But the most notable candidate, Hillary Clinton, was conspicuously absent.

McAuliffe, who ran Clinton's failed 2008 campaign, kicked off the gathering by acknowledging his full support for her 2016 bid. In a video message, Clinton thanked South Carolinians for their efforts in her newly-minted candidacy. Despite the lack of a Republican nominee, Clinton projected that the GOP will be "offering the same economic agenda that has failed American families again and again -- a throwback to the past instead of a vision for the future." The delegates, many of whom were women, seemed fired up for Clinton's statement, meeting her message with cheers.

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Clinton also made a veiled reference to the shooting of Walter Scott , a black man who was killed by a white police officer in Charleston earlier this month. "You (South Carolinians) care that everyone is treated with respect by law enforcement," she said.

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