Sanders looks to gain ground in Saturday caucuses

by Harper Neidig - 03/26/16 9:53 AM ET

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is aiming to use Saturday’s series of caucuses as a springboard to gain ground on rival Hillary Clinton.

The two are facing off in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington state on Saturday, with a total of 142 pledged delegates on the line.

{mosads}Washington is the biggest prize of the day, with 101 delegates itself. Hawaii offers 25, and Alaska 16.

Sanders can gain a big shot of momentum with multiple wins Saturday, but he can’t fully erase Clinton’s lead.

The former secretary of State has earned 1,223 pledged delegates so far, with Sanders at 920.

Clinton also has the support of 468 super delegates, while the Vermont senator has 29.

But Sanders sees a path to victory that runs through the West Coast.

An estimated 15,000 people showed up to hear him speak in Seattle on Friday, where he underlined the importance of the West’s primaries.

“We have now won 11 states. And if there are large turnouts in Washington, Hawaii and Alaska, we have a shot to win three more,” he said.

“And I believe that if we win here in Washington, we’re gonna win in California, we are gonna win in Oregon, and we’ve got a real path toward victory.”

During her own campaigning in the state, Clinton emphasized her lead in the race, which her campaign has characterized as “insurmountable.”

“I have gotten 2.6 million more votes than Bernie Sanders,” she said during an earlier campaign stop in Everett, Wash. “We are on the path to the nomination, and I want Washington to be part of how we get there.”

Tags Alaska Bernie Sanders Hawaii Hillary Clinton Washington