Bernie Sanders tops Hillary Clinton in West Virginia Democratic primary
May 10, 2016, 6:26 PM
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he speaks at a campaign rally Sunday, May 8, 2016 in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
(AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders topped rival Hillary Clinton in the West Virginia primary on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic #WVPrimary. @AP race call at 9:24 p.m. EDT. #Election2016 #APracecall pic.twitter.com/K0Pq8vcyLg
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 11, 2016
The victory was one of many the Vermont senator will need to string together in coming weeks if he’s going to challenge Clinton at the party’s July convention.
Though Clinton’s campaign has repeatedly said the race is over — she can lock up the necessary number of delegates without winning any remaining primaries — Sanders has vowed to see things out to the bitter end.
Sanders spoke to the AP after he defeated Clinton in Indiana’s primary, predicting that he would achieve “more victories in the weeks to come” in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon and California.
The Vermont senator acknowledged that he faced an “uphill climb” to the Democratic nomination but said he was “in this campaign to win and we are going to fight until the last vote is cast.”
If Sanders is going to truly contest Clinton, primary victories will be just a part of his comeback. He also needs to convince many superdelegates — Democratic Party insiders who can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of how their states vote — to change sides.
Going into the West Virginia primary, superdelegates favored Clinton by a nearly 18-1 margin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
