Hillary Clinton wins Democratic primary in New York, moves closer to nomination
Apr 19, 2016, 6:47 PM | Updated: 6:56 pm
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the 2016 Legislative Conference of North America's Building Trades Unions in Washington, Tuesday, April 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign took another step toward the nomination on Tuesday with a win in the New York Democratic primary.
Thank you, New York. You put your faith in me 16 years ago and again tonight. I'll never stop fighting for you. -H pic.twitter.com/Tqp8lCYhvq
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 20, 2016
Clinton, who represented the state as a senator for eight years, spent the final hours of campaigning trying to drive up turnout among women and minorities, her most ardent supporters.
Since Sunday, she’s danced to Latin music at a Brooklyn block party, vowed to defend abortion rights to female supporters in Manhattan, prayed at black church in Westchester, drunk a bubble tea at a dumpling shop in Flushing and cheered newly unionized workers in Queens.
“We’re not taking anything for granted,” she said Monday after greeting workers at the Hi-Tek Car Wash & Lube in Queens.
Going into Tuesday, Clinton’s goal was to claim a big enough delegate haul to boost the idea that her nomination is inevitable. With Bernie Sanders needing to win 68 percent of the remaining delegates prior to losing in New York, she may have accomplished that.
Despite polls going against him, Sanders went into Tuesday hoping his recent string of wins in recent primaries and caucuses would continue.
“This is a campaign on the move,” Sanders shouted to a crowd of thousands gathered along the waterfront in Queens Monday night, with the Manhattan skyline serving as a dramatic backdrop. “This is a movement getting the establishment very, very nervous.”
But even before the New York results were in, Clinton’s campaign was declaring the year’s Democratic race virtually over and warning Sanders that he risks damaging the eventual nominee if he keeps up harsh criticism of the former secretary of state.
Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Sanders faces a “close to impossible path to the nomination” and predicted New York would result in Clinton taking “an important step to the nomination.”
With the contest between Sanders and Clinton becoming increasingly tense, Mook said the Vermont senator had to choose whether he wanted to stay on a “destructive path” that could hurt the party’s eventual nominee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
