According to the New York Times, senior aides to the President indicate that a formal endorsement could come as early this week, especially if Clinton does well in the final round of primaries this Tuesday. While Clinton is ahead of the Vermont senator in pledged delegates as well as the popular vote, the inclusion of super delegates helps nudge her over the requisite 2,383-delegate threshold.
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Associated Press (AP) says the delegates Ms Clinton has won during the party’s primary campaign, plus superdelegates who have pledged support for her, take her above the 2383 required to be guaranteed the nomination. The news comes the day before the last major day of primary season, with votes being held in New Jersey, California and four other states on Tuesday.
That makes Clinton the presumptive Democrats nominee and means she will now face presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in November’s general election. Rallying supporters at City College of San Francisco’s Mission Center, Sanders said Clinton’s voters were more reliable and he would need a large turnout among recently registered voters, independents and young people.
The former secretary of state has largely declined to discuss the historic nature of her candidacy. “She will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until July 25 and who can change their minds between now and then”.
In all, Clinton has 2,383 delegates, while Sanders 1,569.
“It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgement, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee’s clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer”, said Michael Briggs, the spokesman for Sanders.
Sanders, with 1,521 delegates and 48 superdelegates now, is widely thought unlikely to sway superdelegates to his side, as Clinton has won more votes, more states, more pledged delegates and more superdelegates. According to the Associated Press, Ms Clinton has the votes of 571 superdelegates, while Mr Sanders has only 48.
Sanders stands at 1,568 delegates, more than 800 behind his rival, and there is no precedent for a massive number of super-delegates switching sides.
“Now the presumptive nominee, she will formally accept her party’s nomination in July at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia”, the AP said in a newsflash.
Clinton still appeared a few dozen delegates short after weekend victories in Puerto Rico.
What’s more, Sanders hopes to notch a victory in Tuesday’s California primary, in which polls have shown the candidates in a dead heat.
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Reports indicate the President Obama will soon publicly endorse Hillary Clinton and will aggressively campaign for the former Secretary of State in the coming months.
