Bernie Sanders won the state’s primary over Hillary Clinton, and while the delegates he collects will do nothing to knock the front-runner off her glide path to the Democratic nomination, it will give the insurgent candidate a much-needed shot of adrenaline during what could be a good month for him.
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Clinton won the primary in Nebraska, but the 25 delegates at stake already were given to Sanders at the March 5 caucus. Trump won handily in the state and took West Virginia, which also held a Republican primary Tuesday. “We are going to fight for every last vote”.
Clinton defeated Barack Obama here in 2008, but didn’t come close to a victory on Tuesday, losing to Sanders by a wide margin.
But Tuesday’s (local time) loss could signal trouble for Mrs Clinton with working-class voters in the US Rust Belt, where she would need to prevail in key states, such as OH and Pennsylvania, in the general election.
Heading into Tuesday’s contest, Clinton held a formidable lead of 290 pledged delegates over Sanders, according to a tally by the Associated Press. Right now, she is only about 160 delegates short of the 2,383 delegate threshold she must reach to secure the nomination.
Sanders’ victory comes a week after he prevailed in Indiana’s Democratic primary, and two weeks after his campaign was dealt what appeared to be a fatal blow in several contests in the Northeast, including his native NY.
Overall, just 6 in 10 of those voting in that state’s Democratic primary say they’re Democrats.
Win or lose in the remaining contests, she is likely to maintain a significant lead over Sanders in both the votes and delegates necessary to clinch the Democratic nomination. In a visit to West Virginia last week, she said her remarks were taken out of context and that she would work to boost employment in the state.
Mr Sanders’ message of economic fairness also resonated in West Virginia, one of the poorest states in the country.
Barouth explains, “If you think there’s still a chance, then it makes sense to go where there’s delegates to be found, although yes, I don’t think we’re gonna swing the election”.
Sanders’s advantage over Clinton in West Virginia was clear in preliminary exit polling. Three in 10 Democratic primary voters said they or a family member were employed in the coal industry, and Sanders won those voters by more than 20 percentage points.
By winning West Virginia, Sanders also shows that in spite of Trump, there are still some within the Democratic party who are not willing to back Clinton.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says he’ll live up to his pledge to the Republican Party to support the GOP’s presidential nominee.
Republican Donald Trump is closing in on his prize, too, 92 percent of the way there after wins in West Virginia and Nebraska on Tuesday – in a field with no rivals left. Just 3 in 10 think it will remain divided.
Clinton, 68, has said she will ignore Trump’s personal insults, including his repeated use of his new nickname for her, “Crooked Hillary”, and instead will criticise his policy pronouncements.
“I’m not really a big Bernie Sanders fan”, says NDSU student Rebecca Nelson. Bernie Sanders says he is the cadidate who can defeat Donald Trump.
Next up is the Kentucky Democratic primary on May 17, with 61 delegates up for grabs.
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Anne Ashley says she thinks Trump is “becoming more aware of the gravity of becoming president and becoming more composed”.
