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| Kentucky primary: Clinton appears to clinch narrow win over Sanders | Kentucky primary: Clinton appears to clinch narrow win over Sanders |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Hillary Clinton seemed to have clinched a narrow but morale-boosting victory over Bernie Sanders in the Kentucky primary on Tuesday, putting her within striking distance of finally sealing the Democratic nomination. | Hillary Clinton seemed to have clinched a narrow but morale-boosting victory over Bernie Sanders in the Kentucky primary on Tuesday, putting her within striking distance of finally sealing the Democratic nomination. |
| Sanders had taken an early lead in the count but Clinton eventually overtook him by a slim margin. With 99.8% reporting, Clinton had 46.8% to 46.3% for Sanders. | Sanders had taken an early lead in the count but Clinton eventually overtook him by a slim margin. With 99.8% reporting, Clinton had 46.8% to 46.3% for Sanders. |
| In an unusual move, Allison Lundergan Grimes, the Kentucky secretary of state and a Clinton supporter, appeared on CNN to call her the “unofficial” winner of the Kentucky race before it was formally announced. | In an unusual move, Allison Lundergan Grimes, the Kentucky secretary of state and a Clinton supporter, appeared on CNN to call her the “unofficial” winner of the Kentucky race before it was formally announced. |
| “That is what it looks like right now,” Grimes said. “Hillary Clinton will be the unofficial nominee on behalf of the Democratic party here in the commonwealth of Kentucky.” | “That is what it looks like right now,” Grimes said. “Hillary Clinton will be the unofficial nominee on behalf of the Democratic party here in the commonwealth of Kentucky.” |
| Shortly afterwards, Clinton herself declared victory with a tweet: | Shortly afterwards, Clinton herself declared victory with a tweet: |
| We just won Kentucky! Thanks to everyone who turned out. We’re always stronger united. https://t.co/8qYPHIje8I pic.twitter.com/elNUP4nFoO | We just won Kentucky! Thanks to everyone who turned out. We’re always stronger united. https://t.co/8qYPHIje8I pic.twitter.com/elNUP4nFoO |
| Speaking later in Carson, California, the state that may wrap up the race on 7 June, Bernie Sanders said: “In a closed primary, something I am not all that enthusiastic about, where independents are not allowed to vote, where Secretary Clinton defeated Barack Obama by 250,000 votes in 2008, it appears tonight we are going to end up with about half of the delegates.” | Speaking later in Carson, California, the state that may wrap up the race on 7 June, Bernie Sanders said: “In a closed primary, something I am not all that enthusiastic about, where independents are not allowed to vote, where Secretary Clinton defeated Barack Obama by 250,000 votes in 2008, it appears tonight we are going to end up with about half of the delegates.” |
| He did not concede the state, but he struck a defiant tone about the remaining battles to come. | He did not concede the state, but he struck a defiant tone about the remaining battles to come. |
| “This is the beginning of the final push to win California … We are in it until the last ballot is cast,” Sanders said. “No one can predict the future, but I think we have a real shot to win primaries in a number of the states coming up. Don’t tell secretary Clinton – I think she might get nervous – but I think we can win here in California.” | “This is the beginning of the final push to win California … We are in it until the last ballot is cast,” Sanders said. “No one can predict the future, but I think we have a real shot to win primaries in a number of the states coming up. Don’t tell secretary Clinton – I think she might get nervous – but I think we can win here in California.” |
| The Clinton campaign had poured an unexpected amount of time and money into contesting the Kentucky primary after recent wins for Sanders in Indiana and West Virginia raised fears that her political momentum might suffer from another loss, even though she maintains a commanding lead in the national race for delegates. | The Clinton campaign had poured an unexpected amount of time and money into contesting the Kentucky primary after recent wins for Sanders in Indiana and West Virginia raised fears that her political momentum might suffer from another loss, even though she maintains a commanding lead in the national race for delegates. |
| The former secretary of state held 11 campaign events over three visits to Kentucky in the two weeks leading up to its primary and was heavily supported by her husband Bill, who made half a dozen campaign stops of his own in a state that twice voted for him as president. | |
| Clinton also spent money on an advertising campaign of the sort that had been abandoned in other primary states during her recent pivot towards a likely general election showdown with Donald Trump. | Clinton also spent money on an advertising campaign of the sort that had been abandoned in other primary states during her recent pivot towards a likely general election showdown with Donald Trump. |
| This rearguard action to shore up support among Democrats appears to have been successful in Kentucky, where Clinton saw strong support from African American voters in cities like Louisville and was not hit as hard as had been expected in the east of the state by the remarks she made about coal that undermined her in West Virginia last week. | This rearguard action to shore up support among Democrats appears to have been successful in Kentucky, where Clinton saw strong support from African American voters in cities like Louisville and was not hit as hard as had been expected in the east of the state by the remarks she made about coal that undermined her in West Virginia last week. |
| Sanders, meanwhile, appeared to have struggled to overcome a familiar obstacle: another state with “closed” primary rules that prevent independent supporters from turning out to vote for him. | Sanders, meanwhile, appeared to have struggled to overcome a familiar obstacle: another state with “closed” primary rules that prevent independent supporters from turning out to vote for him. |
| With 61 delegates up for grabs in total in Kentucky and 74 in Oregon, a narrow win for either candidate was never likely to make a meaningful dent in the lead of nearly 300 that Clinton enjoys in pledged delegates nationally. With her vast lead among superdelegates – party elites whose choice is not dictated by primary results – factored in, Clinton is now only around 100 short of the magic number of 2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination. | With 61 delegates up for grabs in total in Kentucky and 74 in Oregon, a narrow win for either candidate was never likely to make a meaningful dent in the lead of nearly 300 that Clinton enjoys in pledged delegates nationally. With her vast lead among superdelegates – party elites whose choice is not dictated by primary results – factored in, Clinton is now only around 100 short of the magic number of 2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination. |
| But the psychological boost from beating Sanders in a state where he had claimed he might win if turnout was high enough should now help Clinton return to her original strategy of turning to Trump and the general election contest. | But the psychological boost from beating Sanders in a state where he had claimed he might win if turnout was high enough should now help Clinton return to her original strategy of turning to Trump and the general election contest. |
| The results come amid growing signs of rancour between the two Democratic rivals, which may still prove hard to patch up when the party gathers at its national convention in Philadelphia this July. | The results come amid growing signs of rancour between the two Democratic rivals, which may still prove hard to patch up when the party gathers at its national convention in Philadelphia this July. |
| Earlier on Tuesday, party leaders called on Sanders to distance himself from angry scenes at a state convention in Nevada this weekend, where his supporters claimed rules were bent to favour Clinton. | Earlier on Tuesday, party leaders called on Sanders to distance himself from angry scenes at a state convention in Nevada this weekend, where his supporters claimed rules were bent to favour Clinton. |
| “Our democracy is undermined any time threats, intimidation, physical violence or damage to property are present,” wrote the party chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “If there are legitimate concerns, they must be addressed in an orderly, civil and peaceful manner.” | |
| Sanders responded with a defiant statement saying it was “nonsense” to claim his campaign had a “penchant for violence” and accused the Democratic leadership of using “its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place” in Nevada. | Sanders responded with a defiant statement saying it was “nonsense” to claim his campaign had a “penchant for violence” and accused the Democratic leadership of using “its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place” in Nevada. |
| Sanders was expected to do better against Clinton in Tuesday’s other contest in Oregon. With 60% of the vote reporting, the Vermont senator was ahead of Clinton 53%-47%. | |
| Trump – who appeared on screen with Fox presenter Megyn Kelly on Tuesday night for a much-hyped interview – won Oregon’s Republican primary, the next step on his now seemingly unstoppable journey towards the GOP nomination. With 60% of the vote counted, Trump had 66.6% of the vote, to Ohio governor John Kasich’s 17% and Texas senator Ted Cruz’s 16.3%. | Trump – who appeared on screen with Fox presenter Megyn Kelly on Tuesday night for a much-hyped interview – won Oregon’s Republican primary, the next step on his now seemingly unstoppable journey towards the GOP nomination. With 60% of the vote counted, Trump had 66.6% of the vote, to Ohio governor John Kasich’s 17% and Texas senator Ted Cruz’s 16.3%. |
| Former Republican rivals Cruz and Kasich remained on the ballot in the state, despite having dropped out after Trump’s triumph in Indiana earlier this month. | Former Republican rivals Cruz and Kasich remained on the ballot in the state, despite having dropped out after Trump’s triumph in Indiana earlier this month. |
| The GOP elite – which once seemed adamantly opposed to the billionaire’s candidacy – has reluctantly rallied round him since his emergence as the presumptive nominee. Polls currently show Clinton beating him by about five points. | The GOP elite – which once seemed adamantly opposed to the billionaire’s candidacy – has reluctantly rallied round him since his emergence as the presumptive nominee. Polls currently show Clinton beating him by about five points. |
| Additional reporting by Tom McCarthy in New York | Additional reporting by Tom McCarthy in New York |