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| US election 2016: Hillary Clinton claims the Democratic presidential nomination, shattering 'hardest, highest' glass ceiling | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| When she conceded defeat to Barack Obama at the end of a long and gruelling primary season in 2008, Hillary Clinton expressed regret that she had been unable to “shatter that highest and hardest glass ceiling”, the US presidential nomination. As she at last celebrated her 2016 primary triumph with supporters in Brooklyn last night, she returned to the metaphor, saying: "This campaign is about making sure there are no ceilings, no limits on any of us." | |
| Drowned out by the din of Donald Trump and her increasingly boisterous Democratic primary battle with Bernie Sanders, the significance of the moment has been muted. But it is historic nonetheless: the former Secretary of State will be the first woman ever to contest a presidential election at the head of a major political party. | Drowned out by the din of Donald Trump and her increasingly boisterous Democratic primary battle with Bernie Sanders, the significance of the moment has been muted. But it is historic nonetheless: the former Secretary of State will be the first woman ever to contest a presidential election at the head of a major political party. |
| Ms Clinton was declared the winner of the New Jersey race early in the evening, claiming her first delegates from a total of 694 up for grabs at the day's primaries. Mr Sanders soon picked off his first victory of the night, in North Dakota, as Democrats also awaited results from California, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota. | Ms Clinton was declared the winner of the New Jersey race early in the evening, claiming her first delegates from a total of 694 up for grabs at the day's primaries. Mr Sanders soon picked off his first victory of the night, in North Dakota, as Democrats also awaited results from California, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota. |
| On the eve of the votes, the Associated Press reported that Ms Clinton had already passed the threshold of 2,383 needed to claim the nomination. That count comprised delegates from primaries and caucuses, as well as superdelegates who will cast their votes at the Democratic convention in July, and who told the news agency they were already set on supporting Ms Clinton. The report caused outrage in the Sanders camp, which decried the media’s “rush to judgement” and pointed out that superdelegates “do not vote until July 25 and… can change their minds between now and then.” | On the eve of the votes, the Associated Press reported that Ms Clinton had already passed the threshold of 2,383 needed to claim the nomination. That count comprised delegates from primaries and caucuses, as well as superdelegates who will cast their votes at the Democratic convention in July, and who told the news agency they were already set on supporting Ms Clinton. The report caused outrage in the Sanders camp, which decried the media’s “rush to judgement” and pointed out that superdelegates “do not vote until July 25 and… can change their minds between now and then.” |
| In recent weeks, Mr Sanders has staked his campaign on the result in California, closing the poll gap in the Golden State to within the margin of error. He has promised to contest the party convention in Philadelphia, regardless of the final primary results. But even a slim win in the nation’s most populous state will do little to change the eventual outcome of the race. | In recent weeks, Mr Sanders has staked his campaign on the result in California, closing the poll gap in the Golden State to within the margin of error. He has promised to contest the party convention in Philadelphia, regardless of the final primary results. But even a slim win in the nation’s most populous state will do little to change the eventual outcome of the race. |
| Going into this week, Ms Clinton was ahead of Mr Sanders by several states, close to 300 pledged delegates and some three million individual votes. The Vermont Senator’s closing pitch to superdelegates is that speculative polls show him performing better than Ms Clinton against Mr Trump in a general election match-up. That argument will likely fall on deaf ears. | Going into this week, Ms Clinton was ahead of Mr Sanders by several states, close to 300 pledged delegates and some three million individual votes. The Vermont Senator’s closing pitch to superdelegates is that speculative polls show him performing better than Ms Clinton against Mr Trump in a general election match-up. That argument will likely fall on deaf ears. |
| Mr Trump, now running unopposed for the Republican nomination, cruised to his first inevitable victory of the evening in New Jersey. Repuplican voters also went to the polls on Tuesday in California, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota. Speaking to supporters at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, Mr Trump intensified his attacks on his future general election opponent, accusing her of having “turned the State Department into a private hedge fund” during her tenure as Secretary of State. | Mr Trump, now running unopposed for the Republican nomination, cruised to his first inevitable victory of the evening in New Jersey. Repuplican voters also went to the polls on Tuesday in California, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota. Speaking to supporters at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, Mr Trump intensified his attacks on his future general election opponent, accusing her of having “turned the State Department into a private hedge fund” during her tenure as Secretary of State. |
| Implying that Ms Clinton had offered favourable treatment to dubious foreign powers in return for donations to her family foundation, the billionaire property mogul said Ms Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had “turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art-form.” | Implying that Ms Clinton had offered favourable treatment to dubious foreign powers in return for donations to her family foundation, the billionaire property mogul said Ms Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had “turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art-form.” |
| Under Ms Clinton’s foreign policy leadership, he went on, the US “invaded Libya, destabilised Iraq, unleashed Isis, threw Syria into chaos and created the mass migration which is wreaking havoc all over the world, while putting Iran on the path to nuclear weapons.” | Under Ms Clinton’s foreign policy leadership, he went on, the US “invaded Libya, destabilised Iraq, unleashed Isis, threw Syria into chaos and created the mass migration which is wreaking havoc all over the world, while putting Iran on the path to nuclear weapons.” |
| Encouraging disaffected Sanders voters to come over to his side, Mr Trump said: “To all of those Bernie Sanders voters who have been left out in the cold by a rigged system of superdelegates, we welcome you with open arms.” | Encouraging disaffected Sanders voters to come over to his side, Mr Trump said: “To all of those Bernie Sanders voters who have been left out in the cold by a rigged system of superdelegates, we welcome you with open arms.” |
| As she launched her campaign a year ago, faced with a ragbag of little-known competitors, Ms Clinton could have been forgiven for expecting a coronation. But while former governors such as Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee failed to capture voters’ imaginations, it was Mr Sanders, a 74-year-old self-described socialist, who unexpectedly mounted the most resonant and resilient challenge to Ms Clinton – and to the status quo. | As she launched her campaign a year ago, faced with a ragbag of little-known competitors, Ms Clinton could have been forgiven for expecting a coronation. But while former governors such as Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee failed to capture voters’ imaginations, it was Mr Sanders, a 74-year-old self-described socialist, who unexpectedly mounted the most resonant and resilient challenge to Ms Clinton – and to the status quo. |
| Mr Sanders only joined the Democratic party in 2015 after decades as an independent, and was at first considered little more than a protest candidate. But his revolutionary message quickly drew a loyal following that continued to grow as the race ground on. With a fundraising machine forged on social media, he was able to spend more than $200m on a campaign that has forced the front-runner and the Democratic establishment to the left on multiple issues. | Mr Sanders only joined the Democratic party in 2015 after decades as an independent, and was at first considered little more than a protest candidate. But his revolutionary message quickly drew a loyal following that continued to grow as the race ground on. With a fundraising machine forged on social media, he was able to spend more than $200m on a campaign that has forced the front-runner and the Democratic establishment to the left on multiple issues. |
| The strength of the Sanders surge means that, even in defeat, his campaign has secured major concessions from the party, including five seats on the 15-person convention platform committee, which authors the Democratic policy platform for the general election. | The strength of the Sanders surge means that, even in defeat, his campaign has secured major concessions from the party, including five seats on the 15-person convention platform committee, which authors the Democratic policy platform for the general election. |
| But while the Vermont Senator has consistently outperformed Ms Clinton among younger voters and independents, he was unable to break her deep ties with the African-American community, particularly in the early voting states of the Deep South. Ms Clinton also overshadowed the outsider in several major states with large Hispanic populations, such as New York, Texas and Florida. | But while the Vermont Senator has consistently outperformed Ms Clinton among younger voters and independents, he was unable to break her deep ties with the African-American community, particularly in the early voting states of the Deep South. Ms Clinton also overshadowed the outsider in several major states with large Hispanic populations, such as New York, Texas and Florida. |
| The former Secretary of State has already pivoted to a general election strategy, most pointedly with an attack on Mr Trump’s foreign policy, delivered on stage in San Diego last week, in which she characterised the presumptive GOP nominee’s national security ideas as a series of “bizarre rants, personal feuds and outright lies.” | The former Secretary of State has already pivoted to a general election strategy, most pointedly with an attack on Mr Trump’s foreign policy, delivered on stage in San Diego last week, in which she characterised the presumptive GOP nominee’s national security ideas as a series of “bizarre rants, personal feuds and outright lies.” |
| Ms Clinton certainly has weaknesses as a general election candidate: some of her supporters fear the spectre of past scandals, while liberal opponents are suspicious of her centrist policy record, particularly in foreign affairs. Ms Clinton herself concedes that she is “not a natural politician” like her husband, Bill Clinton, or her former foe, President Obama. Her candidacy is historic in more than one way – she has higher unfavourable poll ratings than any previous nominee in recent memory. | Ms Clinton certainly has weaknesses as a general election candidate: some of her supporters fear the spectre of past scandals, while liberal opponents are suspicious of her centrist policy record, particularly in foreign affairs. Ms Clinton herself concedes that she is “not a natural politician” like her husband, Bill Clinton, or her former foe, President Obama. Her candidacy is historic in more than one way – she has higher unfavourable poll ratings than any previous nominee in recent memory. |
| But concerned Democrats can seek consolation in another fact: Donald Trump’s unfavourables are higher still. | But concerned Democrats can seek consolation in another fact: Donald Trump’s unfavourables are higher still. |