Hillary Clinton's Childhood Friend Stumps for Candidate in New Campaign Video

A new video released by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign Friday featured childhood friend Betsy Ebeling talking about growing up together in Park Ridge and casting Illinois' nominating votes for her pal during their party's convention.

Ebeling and Clinton became friends as sixth-graders at Eugene Field School in Park Ridge in the 1950s. The two have remained close over the years, even while Clinton has spent her adult political life between Arkansas, Washington, D.C., New York and the campaign trail.

"I've known Hillary since September of 1958," Ebeling, who lives in Arlington Heights, says in the video. "We have been friends through all of these years. Each other's weddings. Babies being born. Parents sick. Parents dying."

Supporting Clinton's political career is another thing included in their friendship. Earlier in the year, Ebeling — Politico called her Clinton's "best personality validator" — traveled to Iowa to help stump for Clinton before that state's caucus. In May, she held an exclusive fundraiser in Park Ridger for her friend.

RELATED: Watch Hillary Clinton's Childhood Pal Fight Tears as She Casts Illinois' Votes at DNC (VIDEO)

Ebeling's biggest turn in the spotlight, however, came in July when she cast Illinois' 98 nominating votes for Clinton during the Democratic National Convention in Cleveland.

"[S]tanding there all that time — and it took forever — and all of a sudden, they said, 'OK, we're next.' And I think that's when it hit me that she was really going to really do this. It was going to happen. It was overwhelming in every sense of that word. I never really understood what overwhelming was until I was standing there."

YouTube screen cap via Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign

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