Sanders wins in West Virginia
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is projected to win the West Virginia primary.
MSNBC called the race for Sanders at 7:30 p.m. EDT, as polls closed. Fox News followed about an hour later, shortly after the campaign sent out a release touting his victory.
“Every vote we earn and every delegate we secure sends an unmistakable message about the values we share, the country’s support for the ideas of our campaign, and a rejection of Donald Trump and his values,” the statement said, adding that the campaign will now focus on Kentucky and Oregon.
Sanders’s win does little to close the delegate gap in the race, but it frustrates rival Hillary Clinton’s attempts to clinch the nomination.
{mosads}The Vermont senator will take a majority of West Virginia’s 29 pledged delegates, of a total 37.
Clinton’s loss keeps her stuck in a protracted contest for the nomination, while presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump can focus entirely on her.
The former secretary of State is already pivoting to Trump, attacking the billionaire at every turn. But Sanders’s win Tuesday night is a stark reminder that Clinton’s own primary race isn’t over yet.
He touted his desire to take on the presumptive GOP nominee in his Tuesday night statement.
“There is nothing I would like more than to take on and defeat Donald Trump, someone who must never become president of this country. But I believe that it is not enough to just reject Trump — this is an opportunity to define a progressive vision for America.”
And Clinton’s frustrations are likely to continue with states coming up — including Oregon and the biggest delegate prize, California — where Sanders likes his chances.
Sanders’s West Virginia win is no surprise. The state is suffering economically, alienated from D.C. elites and more than 90 percent white.
And Clinton didn’t help her chances with the state’s coal mining industry when she said, while discussing her energy plan, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.”
Sanders entered Tuesday at a huge delegate disadvantage. Clinton had 1,705 pledged delegates to his 1,415, according to The Associated Press.
And factoring in superdelegates, Clinton had 2,228 total delegates, bearing down on the 2,383 needed to clinch the nomination.
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