Sanders takes Hawaii

by Ben Kamisar - 03/27/16 5:33 AM ET

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has won the Hawaii presidential preference poll, according to The Associated Press.

With 87.8 percent reporting early Sunday morning, Sanders had 70.6 percent to rival Hillary Clinton’s 29.2 percent.

The Vermont senator will win the majority of the state’s 25 pledged delegates.

{mosads}Sanders won Hawaii with the help of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who resigned her post at the Democratic National Committee in order to support him.

Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, cut an emotional ad for Sanders days before the primary that shows her surfing in Hawaii while talking about Sanders’ commitment to national defense and veterans.

Clinton had some local support of her own. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and Rep. Mark Takai — all Hawaii Democrats — endorsed the former secretary of State.

Sanders’s delegate gains in Hawaii will be minor. Entering Saturday, Clinton had 1,223 pledged delegates, with Sanders at 946 delegates. But Sanders did gain some ground with landslide wins on Saturday in Alaska and Washington.

And Clinton’s lead is even larger when counting the hundreds of party leaders who have pledged their support as party superdelegates.

Tags Bernie Sanders Hawaii Hillary Clinton Mazie Hirono Tulsi Gabbard