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Before WikiLeaks struck, Hillary Clinton already had work to do at this week鈥檚 Democratic National Convention to unify her party.

Now that task has become a lot more difficult. The weekend release by WikiLeaks of from Democratic National Committee staffers has provided embarrassing evidence of DNC favoritism toward Mrs. Clinton during the primaries 鈥� a bias long suspected by Bernie Sanders, the runner-up for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The scandal led to the forced resignation Sunday of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who will step down after the convention.

Democrats had great fun chortling over last week鈥檚 less-than-smooth Republican convention 鈥� the 鈥淣ever Trump鈥� revolt, the plagiarism, the booing, the high-profile GOP no-shows.

Now, it appears that Donald Trump and the Republicans may have the last laugh, as thousands of pro-Sanders demonstrators descend upon Philadelphia to protest the Democratic establishment 鈥� including Clinton鈥檚 perceived deficits as a progressive.

Protests may also break out inside the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention is taking place.

鈥淭here鈥檚 talk about walking out of the vice presidential, presidential acceptance speech,鈥� leading Sanders delegate Norman Solomon said Sunday. 鈥淭here鈥檚 talk about total silence, remaining seated, turning backs.鈥�

Cybersecurity experts have concluded that the DNC emails were hacked , raising speculation that President Vladimir Putin's government may be trying to tamper with the US presidential election, the New York Times reported.

Sanders takes the high road

In TV interviews Sunday, Mr. Sanders kept the focus on defeating Mr. Trump and electing Clinton.

鈥淒onald Trump would be a disaster for this country,鈥� Sanders said on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press.鈥� 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to elect Secretary Clinton, who won every single issue, fighting for the middle class on health care, on climate change, [and] is a far, far superior candidate to Trump.鈥�

Sanders also calmly denounced the content of the leaked emails. In one, a party official suggests questioning whether Sanders believes in God, in an effort to hurt him in Southern primaries.

鈥淚 am not an atheist,鈥� Sanders said Sunday on CNN, calling the apparent effort to undercut his campaign 鈥渁n outrage.鈥�

The emails also show denunciations of Sanders and his operation around the time the DNC temporarily shut off his access to the party鈥檚 voter list. Sanders said he had long been convinced that the DNC was biased toward Clinton.

As it happens, Sanders addresses the convention Monday night 鈥� must-see TV for anyone interested in politics.

Can Clinton convert Sanders voters?

Before the WikiLeaks email release, Clinton had made significant headway in getting Democrats to coalesce around her. In mid-July, a found that 85 percent of people who voted for Sanders in the primaries planned to vote for Clinton in November, with 9 percent voting for Trump.

How WikiLeaks, the selection of Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia as Clinton鈥檚 running mate, and the convention itself affect those numbers will be closely watched after the convention ends.

The early assessments of Senator Kaine by progressive activists showed some displeasure, but also some optimism after he free-trade deal 鈥� putting him in line with Clinton鈥檚 new, negative view of the deal.

鈥淚n the hours since joining the presidential ticket, Tim Kaine has called for debt-free college and announced his opposition to the TPP,鈥� said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, in a statement Saturday. 聽

鈥淜aine鈥檚 actions are most significant when viewed as a reflection of how Hillary Clinton will govern,鈥� Ms. Taylor added. 鈥淭he mood of the country is a populist one. We鈥檙e glad to see the Clinton-Kaine ticket taking steps to campaign on big, bold, populist ideas that voters want to hear from Democrats.鈥�

Clinton鈥檚 selection of Kaine seemed to show confidence that she didn鈥檛 need to move far to the left to secure her party鈥檚 liberal base in November. Ditto the fact that he鈥檚 a white male 鈥� challenging Trump with a demographic that favors him.

Still, some progressives worry that even if most Sanders voters say they鈥檒l vote for Clinton, they won鈥檛 do 鈥� not just vote, but volunteer and bring friends to the polls.

In recent days, Democratic convention committees to the Sanders wing of the party. The Rules Committee approved a commission that will reduce the number of 鈥渟uper-delegates鈥� 鈥� party leaders and elected officials who are not bound by the results of primaries and caucuses 鈥� in future years.

They also made changes to the party platform, with a call for a $15 minimum wage, expanded access to health care and higher education, measures to "rein in Wall Street," and abolishing of the death penalty.

Kitchen-table talk

The convention represents Clinton鈥檚 biggest opportunity between now and Election Day to communicate her 鈥渧alues and vision鈥� directly to the American people, says Democratic pollster Mark Mellman.

Clinton鈥檚 challenge is that she鈥檚 not the most electrifying of speakers 鈥� but that doesn鈥檛 mean viewers won鈥檛 tune in. It is, after all, the party鈥檚 national convention.

鈥淪he鈥檚 got to communicate about herself more than anything else,鈥� says Mr. Mellman. 鈥淎nd the issues that she chooses to talk about will do more to illustrate her character and illustrate who she is and what she鈥檚 about than anything else.鈥�

Even among Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters, Clinton faces reservations over her honesty and trustworthiness. That鈥檚 a hard rap to overcome, given her decades in the public spotlight 鈥� and especially after the recent dressing-down by the director of the FBI over her 鈥渆xtremely careless鈥� handling of classified information on her private email server while secretary of State.

Her best way around the character challenge may be through surrogates, strategists say. Just as Bill Clinton made the case for reelecting President Obama more effectively than Mr. Obama himself at the 2012 Democratic convention, so too can others 鈥� like her husband, who speaks Tuesday night, and Obama, who speaks Wednesday 鈥� make the case for her.

But Clinton can try to channel their arguments herself.

鈥淪he needs to reassure the American people that what Barack Obama says is actually true: She鈥檚 the most prepared person to take over the presidency鈥� in decades, says former Sen. Tom Harkin (D) of Iowa.

Mr. Harkin adds that Clinton should also probably acknowledge that she鈥檚 made mistakes, learned from them, and won鈥檛 repeat them. And finally, he suggests she try to have an intimate conversation with the American people.

鈥淛ust imagine you鈥檙e sitting at my kitchen table talking to me, which she has done with me in my house in Iowa,鈥� he says.

Then there鈥檚 the Republican nominee. One of the top goals for this convention 鈥渋s to peel the bark off Donald Trump,鈥� says Democratic strategist Peter Fenn. From the dark view of America that Trump presented at his own convention, to his business practices, to his nativist rhetoric, Democratic speakers will have plenty to work with.

A party that鈥檚 shifted leftward

The new Democratic platform shows a party that has shifted leftward, with a focus on income inequality, not economic growth. This is no longer Bill Clinton鈥檚 party, or in some ways, even Obama鈥檚.

鈥淚t is a party animated by the frustrations of the Obama years and reshaped by waves of economic and social activism,鈥� writes William Galston, former domestic policy chief in the Clinton White House, .

Still, despite the ferment in both parties, the state of play is not parallel. Trump has overrun the Republican establishment; Hillary Clinton is the Democratic establishment.

In a year where voters are demanding change, Clinton鈥檚 establishment label could have been a killer. But her opponent is Trump, who faces historically high negatives for a major-party nominee.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in this bizarre position where the Republicans have nominated the one candidate Hillary can beat, and the Democrats have nominated the one candidate Trump can beat,鈥� says Robert Borosage, co-founder of the liberal Campaign for America鈥檚 Future.

Staff writer Francine Kiefer contributed to this article.