Big night for Clinton in four key states

SHARE Big night for Clinton in four key states
dem_2016_clinton_60045349.jpg

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally, Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Clinton won the state of Florida in the primary election. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hillary Clinton rolled up primary victories in Illinois, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina on Tuesday, dealing a severe blow to Bernie Sanders’ bid to slow her march toward the Democratic presidential nomination.

“We are moving closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination and winning this election in November,” Clinton told cheering supporters in Florida, calling it “another Super Tuesday for our campaign.”

Clinton also was competing against Sanders in Missouri. But her primary night victories strengthened her already formidable pledged delegate lead over Sanders, and the former secretary of state said she expected to have a more than 300-delegate edge by the end of the day.

Sanders, addressing supporters in Phoenix, said his campaign had “come a long way” but he looked past the outcomes. “The reason we have defied all expectations is that we are doing something very radical in American politics — we are telling the truth,” he said.

Florida was the biggest delegate prize and Clinton’s victories put her in a position to end the day with about two-thirds of the delegates needed to clinch the nomination.

With just the wins in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, Clinton will pick up at least 248 delegates while Sanders will gain 102. Many delegates remain to be allocated pending more complete vote totals.

Looking ahead to the fall, Clinton offered pointed words for businessman Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner. “Our commander-in-chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it.” She said for the nation “to be great, we can’t be small. We can’t lose what made America great in the first place.”

Democratic voters in all five states viewed Clinton as the candidate with the better chance to beat Trump if he is the Republican nominee, according to early exit polls. The voters were more likely to describe Sanders as honest but more likely to describe Clinton’s policies as realistic.

“She has done it. She has been there. She is the person that should replace Barack Obama,” said Eduardo De Jesus, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who voted for Clinton.

Clinton urged Democrats in recent days to unite behind her candidacy so it could focus on Trump, the Republican front-runner. In telling campaign optics, Clinton staged Tuesday’s primary night rally in West Palm Beach, a few miles from Mar-a-Lago, where Trump was holding a news conference at his Palm Beach estate.

Sanders aimed for victory in Missouri and had hoped to win Illinois, a state where he hoped his trade-focused message would resonate. It helped him pull off an upset in Michigan last week, prompting him to continue to question Clinton’s past support for trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Entering Tuesday, Clinton had 768 pledged delegates compared to 554 for Sanders, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Overall, Clinton held 1,235 of total delegates, more than half the amount needed to clinch the nomination when the count includes superdelegates, who are elected officials and party leaders free to support the candidate of their choice. Sanders has 580 delegates when the count includes superdelegates.

Sanders’ team said the calendar would be more favorable in the weeks ahead. After Tuesday’s contests, the campaign shifts westward, with contests in Arizona, Idaho and Utah on March 22 and Alaska, Hawaii and Washington state on March 26.

BY LISA LERER AND KEN THOMAS, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Contributing: Hope Yen in Washington, Nicholas Riccardi in Phoenix and Alex Sanz in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Latest
Playing time has dwindled for Tinordi, a physical defensive defenseman who was a pleasant surprise for the Hawks last season but hasn’t found nearly as much success without Connor Murphy.
His surgeons spent 10 hours transplanting his new lungs and liver in September. Six months after the operation, Dr. Gary Gibbon remains cancer-free, able to breathe on his own and celebrated his 69th birthday on Wednesday.
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.
The lawsuit challenges Illinois’ counting of mail-in-ballots after election day, and has potential impact in this presidential election year.
Donald Trump is selling $60 Bibles, and if Jesus had not been resurrected, he most certainly would be rolling over in his grave.