H illary Clinton has become the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major USA political party, according to a survey by the Associated Press which took into consideration the nominations of superdelegates alongside pledged delegates so far secured in earlier primary elections.
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“We really need to bring a close to this primary process and get on to defeating Donald Trump”, said Nancy Worley, a superdelegate who chairs Alabama’s Democratic Party and provided one of the last endorsements to put Mrs Clinton over the top.
White House officials and Democratic aides are still determining how and when Obama, along with Vice President Joe Biden, will throw their formal endorsements behind Clinton and her campaign.
Bernie SandersBernie SandersSanders camp: Clinton has not secured nomination yet AP: Clinton secures delegates needed for nomination Libertarian Johnson predicts a boost after Sanders drops out MORE (I-Vt.). Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have left the island to escape a dismal economy, with many resettling in the key electoral battleground of Florida.
She beat then-Illinois Sen. Eager to exploit his recent spike in popularity, Obama is looking to become the most active lame duck campaigner in recent presidential history.
“I’m for Hillary, girl”, said 83-year-old Candida Dones on Sunday as she cast her ballot. She’s one of us. She also has the support of 571 superdelegates, according to an AP count, compared to 48 for Sanders.
Both Clinton and Sanders spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the six states voting on Tuesday.
That included a stop at a charity “Pedal on the Pier” fundraiser, where Sanders told people riding on stationary bikes that the US should have “an economy that works for all people, not just the one percent”.
Like Clinton, Sanders made little mention of the outcome in Puerto Rico’s primary.
Obama said in an NBC interview pre-taped on Wednesday that he hoped divisions between Democrats would start to heal in coming weeks now that Clinton has clinched the party’s nomination for the November 8 presidential election.
He pointed to polls showing him faring better than Clinton in head-to-head matchups with Trump and his strength among Democratic voters under the age of 45.
Factoring in the 548 super delegates who have indicated that they will support the Democratic front-runner at the convention, Clinton is poised to hit the 2,383 delegates needed for the Democratic nomination Tuesday night.
White House officials have been wary about alienating millions of young voters who have flocked to Sanders’ strident campaign, which has given voice to popular anger about income inequality.
While those watching the results in Puerto Rico focused on their impact on the race for the Democratic nomination, the focus of many voters on the island was its ongoing economic crisis.
On Monday, Clinton noted the timing of the expected endorsement has symbolic weight: Tuesday marks eight years since her concession speech and endorsement of Obama after their 2008 primary showdown. In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, Sanders said the House bill to create a federal control board and allow some restructuring of the territory’s $70 billion debt would make “a awful situation even worse”.
‘We have to take this election seriously, ‘ he said.
“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”.
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While other state party conventions have provoked clashes between Clinton and Sanders supporters, Wisconsin’s convention was tame.
