Washington (CNN)— Bernie Sanders won the
Michigan Democratic primary, CNN projects, in
Michigan Democratic primary, CNN projects, in
an upset that delivers a sharp blow to Hillary
Clinton's hopes of quickly securing her party's
nomination.
Sanders' victory, on the eve of the next
Democratic debate clash that will be simulcast
on CNN, raises fresh questions about the former
secretary of state's appeal to blue-collar
Democrats who have embraced the Vermont's
senator's populist anti-Wall Street message.Although Sanders did little to cut into Clinton's
overall lead of about 200 delegates, thanks to
her win Tuesday in Mississippi, his performance
in Michigan suggests Sanders could mount a
stronger-than-expected challenge in looming
primaries in a string of Rust Belt states,
including Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump won the
nomination.
Sanders' victory, on the eve of the next
Democratic debate clash that will be simulcast
on CNN, raises fresh questions about the former
secretary of state's appeal to blue-collar
Democrats who have embraced the Vermont's
senator's populist anti-Wall Street message.Although Sanders did little to cut into Clinton's
overall lead of about 200 delegates, thanks to
her win Tuesday in Mississippi, his performance
in Michigan suggests Sanders could mount a
stronger-than-expected challenge in looming
primaries in a string of Rust Belt states,
including Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump won the
Hawaii caucuses, CNN projected. He also won
Republican primaries in Michigan and
Mississippi, important victories that propel him
closer to the nomination despite a week of
fearsome barrage of attacks from his rivals and
the Republican establishment.
Sen. Ted Cruz won the Idaho Republican
primary, according to a CNN projection.
But the big surprise of the night was in the
Democratic race.
While the Michigan defeat won't dent Clinton's
overall advantage in the delegate race, it's an
embarrassing speed bump in her efforts to pull
away from Sanders and turn her fire exclusively
on the Republicans. She will now look to big
state contests next Tuesday in Ohio, Florida,
North Carolina and Illinois to restore her
momentum.
Sanders acknowledged that the Michigan vote
was close, but thanked voters for "repudiating"
polls that indicated Clinton had stronger support
in the state.
"What tonight means is that the Bernie Sanders
campaign, the people's revolution that we're
talking about, the political revolution that we're
talking about, is strong in every part of the
country," Sanders said. "And, frankly, we believe
our strongest areas are yet to happen."
Even the Sanders camp appeared to be
surprised by the victory, as the candidate held a
rally for supporters in Florida hours before his
victory was confirmed.
"We didn't know at the end whether we were
going to get over the hump or not," Sanders
campaign manager Jeff Weaver told CNN. He
predicted that with most Southern states now
out of the way, the calendar was turning in
favor of the senator.
The Clinton campaign put a brave face on the
defeat, by about two percent of the vote, after
earlier warning that the race was much closer
than polls that gave Clinton a big lead
suggested.
Clinton communications director Jennifer
Palmieri said their strategy "is built around
accruing delegates and we will come out on top
on delegates."
Even though she lost Michigan to Sanders,
Clinton actually won more delegates on the
night, according to a CNN estimate, picking up
84 to Sanders' 67. She now has 1,234 of the
2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination.
That figure includes super delegates, party
officials and officeholders who have said they
will back her.
Sanders has 567 delegates overall.
Clinton team shaken by close race
The former first lady and her rival have clashed
repeatedly in recent days over issues that are
vital to Michigan voters. Clinton hammered her
rival over a vote against a bailout for the U.S.
auto industry in 2009, while the senator
lambasted her over her past support for free-
trade deals that he said sowed ruin in the
Midwest.
"What these trade agreements have done is
decimate community after community in the
Midwest and all over America," Sanders said in
the state on Monday. "I have helped lead the
opposition to every one of these disastrous
trade agreements," he said, "because I knew
what they would do."
Clinton's team was shaken by the close
Michigan race, sources told CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
Michigan Democrats who are aligned with
Clinton's campaign do not believe that Clinton's
attack on Sanders' position on the auto bailout
worked as they intended.
There is second guessing among some
Democrats that some people in Clinton's
organization started looking beyond the primary
to a general election contest against Trump.
"They didn't take Sanders for granted as much
as voters," said one top Democrat close to the
campaign.
Clinton told supporters on Monday that "the
sooner I could become your nominee, the more I
could begin to turn my attention to the
Republicans."
Mississippi, important victories that propel him
closer to the nomination despite a week of
fearsome barrage of attacks from his rivals and
the Republican establishment.
Sen. Ted Cruz won the Idaho Republican
primary, according to a CNN projection.
But the big surprise of the night was in the
Democratic race.
While the Michigan defeat won't dent Clinton's
overall advantage in the delegate race, it's an
embarrassing speed bump in her efforts to pull
away from Sanders and turn her fire exclusively
on the Republicans. She will now look to big
state contests next Tuesday in Ohio, Florida,
North Carolina and Illinois to restore her
momentum.
Sanders acknowledged that the Michigan vote
was close, but thanked voters for "repudiating"
polls that indicated Clinton had stronger support
in the state.
"What tonight means is that the Bernie Sanders
campaign, the people's revolution that we're
talking about, the political revolution that we're
talking about, is strong in every part of the
country," Sanders said. "And, frankly, we believe
our strongest areas are yet to happen."
Even the Sanders camp appeared to be
surprised by the victory, as the candidate held a
rally for supporters in Florida hours before his
victory was confirmed.
"We didn't know at the end whether we were
going to get over the hump or not," Sanders
campaign manager Jeff Weaver told CNN. He
predicted that with most Southern states now
out of the way, the calendar was turning in
favor of the senator.
The Clinton campaign put a brave face on the
defeat, by about two percent of the vote, after
earlier warning that the race was much closer
than polls that gave Clinton a big lead
suggested.
Clinton communications director Jennifer
Palmieri said their strategy "is built around
accruing delegates and we will come out on top
on delegates."
Even though she lost Michigan to Sanders,
Clinton actually won more delegates on the
night, according to a CNN estimate, picking up
84 to Sanders' 67. She now has 1,234 of the
2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination.
That figure includes super delegates, party
officials and officeholders who have said they
will back her.
Sanders has 567 delegates overall.
Clinton team shaken by close race
The former first lady and her rival have clashed
repeatedly in recent days over issues that are
vital to Michigan voters. Clinton hammered her
rival over a vote against a bailout for the U.S.
auto industry in 2009, while the senator
lambasted her over her past support for free-
trade deals that he said sowed ruin in the
Midwest.
"What these trade agreements have done is
decimate community after community in the
Midwest and all over America," Sanders said in
the state on Monday. "I have helped lead the
opposition to every one of these disastrous
trade agreements," he said, "because I knew
what they would do."
Clinton's team was shaken by the close
Michigan race, sources told CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
Michigan Democrats who are aligned with
Clinton's campaign do not believe that Clinton's
attack on Sanders' position on the auto bailout
worked as they intended.
There is second guessing among some
Democrats that some people in Clinton's
organization started looking beyond the primary
to a general election contest against Trump.
"They didn't take Sanders for granted as much
as voters," said one top Democrat close to the
campaign.
Clinton told supporters on Monday that "the
sooner I could become your nominee, the more I
could begin to turn my attention to the
Republicans."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comment is highly needed for us to know how interesting our stories/writeups are. THANKS