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Philadelphia • At times drawing jeers from his own supporters at the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Bernie Sanders gave a strong endorsement of Hillary Clinton, an important moment as she tries to fold her former rival's "political revolution" into her presidential campaign moving forward.

Going point by point from income inequality to climate change to the Supreme Court, Sanders explained why he believes a President Clinton would be far superior to Donald Trump in the White House.

"Any objective observer will conclude that — based on her ideas and her leadership — Hillary Clinton must become the president of the United States," said Sanders, hearing some boos through the thunderous applause, while at least one Utah delegate sat down in disgust. "The choice is not even close."

Sanders came out to a sustained ovation and thanked all those who donated and voted for him in the primaries — he won 80 percent of Utah's 37 delegates and 46 percent of the delegates overall. He also asked that they still vote for him during Tuesday's official roll call, a formality that will culminate with Clinton's official nomination.

But Sanders made it clear that the ending of his campaign doesn't end the push for his progressive agenda.

"That struggle continues. And I look forward to being part of that struggle with you," he said, in a nod to a post-campaign political organization he's still creating.

His primetime address capped a day where his most ardent supporters booed at almost every mention of Clinton's name, beginning with the opening prayer.

And they weren't mollified by the high-level Sanders' supporters, like former NAACP President Ben Jealous, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, who called for unity.

Comedian Sarah Silverman, who favored Sanders, ad-libbed: "To the Bernie or bust people, you're being ridiculous." The crowd erupted.

Throughout the night,"Bernie!" chants echoed through the arena and even the occasional "Lock her up!," the unofficial slogan from last week's Republican National Convention. Pro-Sanders protests outside and around the arena temporarily closed down the city's subway system and main arteries to the convention hall.

Earlier in the day, Sanders sent emails and texts to his backers asking them not to demonstrate during the convention, but demonstrate they did, often holding up signs protesting the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Some delegates, though none apparently from Utah, even put tape on their mouths as a protest.

These demonstrations destroyed the party's plans for a show of unity in contrast to the internal divisions seen among Republicans in Cleveland between Trump's supporters and those who favored Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. One difference, though, was that Cruz refused to endorse Trump.

"We've always said this revolution is not about one person. It's not about one candidate, it's about all of us," said Utah delegate David Berg. "We love Bernie, but we won't follow him blindly."

Sanders tried to make the case that Clinton is a strong ally, not an opponent, suggesting she'd move toward a living wage when Trump would not. She'd fight for legislation addressing climate change, criminal-justice and immigration reform. He also mentioned the Supreme Court, where there's already one vacancy.

"If you don't believe this election is important, if you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country."

Sanders pointed to a higher education proposal he crafted with Clinton that would offer free college tuition to a family with an annual income of $125,000 per year or less. And he said their campaigns worked together on the party's platform, approved earlier on Monday, which pushed for Wall Street reforms and opposition to the TTP trade agreement.

He described Clinton as a person who would seek to unify not only the party, but the nation.

"In these stressful times for our country, this election must be about bringing our people together, not dividing us up," he said. "While Donald Trump is busy insulting one group after another, Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our great strengths."

But after fighting Clinton for months, some delegates were not ready to give up on the strength of a single speech. Hyrum Matthews, a Sanders delegate from Utah, didn't cheer at many of his political idol's applause lines. He stayed seated for much of the speech.

Earlier in the day, he said he wouldn't back Clinton just because Sanders asked him to.

That, he said, "isn't enough. I want to see results before she gets my vote." After the speech? "I am disappointed."

Cheryl Butler, another Utahn supporting Sanders, said it was unrealistic for anyone to expect unity on the first day of the convention.

Delegates like her fought too long and too hard to miss a chance to demonstrate their convictions.

"We are, in my opinion, the heart and soul of the Democratic Party," she said. "So you're going to hear us being pretty loud in support of those values."

But Butler believes by the end of the week, the convention attendees will unify around the goal of combating Trump.

"You're not going to hear us screaming and yelling in happiness over Hillary, but for sure, we all know we don't want Trump in the White House," she said. "We want a Democrat in the White House. That's what we're here for."