It was another night of split decisions for the Democrats Tuesday as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton won big in the Arizona primary while Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont continued to dog her with victories in caucuses in Utah and Idaho.
Clinton’s win by 20 percentage points in delegate rich Arizona showed once again her mastery over Sanders in more racially diverse states. It also added to the narrative that it would be virtually impossible for the liberal senator to overcome Clinton’s sizeable lead in the overall delegate race.
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But Sanders declared this week during an appearance on CNN, “I’m not a quitter.” And with more caucuses and primaries looming in states receptive to Sanders’s populist themes of income equality and the evils of Wall Street and major trade agreements, Sanders appears determined to fight Clinton all the way to the Democratic national convention this summer.
The caucuses in Utah and Idaho were swamped by huge turnouts of Democrats, a fact noted by Sanders in arguing that his campaign is sparking far more excitement and interest among young people and working class Americans than Clinton’s is. He is convinced that party leaders will eventually conclude that he would be the stronger nominee to take on Republican Donald Trump in the general election – especially with nagging concerns over an FBI investigation of Clinton’s handling of emails at the State Department.
Yet in the wake of the terrorist bombings in Brussels Monday that startled Europe and swiftly altered the rhetoric on the campaign trail in the U.S., Sanders may find it more difficult to challenge Clinton on issues of national security and combating terrorism -- issued that once again are front and center in the campaign.
“When we began this campaign we talked about a need for millions of people to become involved in the political process,” Sanders told a crowd of supporters in San Diego late Tuesday. “Tonight in Utah, tonight in Idaho, and tonight in Arizona there are record-breaking turnouts.”
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Arizona, with 75 Democratic delegates at stake, was the biggest contest of the night and Clinton described her big victory over Sanders as “exciting” and rewarding. But she quickly turned her attention back to the tragedy in Belgium – and has plans to deliver a major address on terrorism at Stanford University today.
“We live in a complex world,” she said in Seattle. “We need leadership that is strong, smart and above all steady.” The former secretary of state and New York senator proclaimed herself the “most ready” to assume the mantle of commander-in-chief.”
Sanders won big over Clinton in Utah and Idaho by margins of 78 percent to 80 percent, and probably picked up a net of 20 delegates throughout the night in the three contests. But while his strong showings in Utah and Idaho gave Sanders an important boost after losing five states including Florida and Ohio to Clinton last week, it does little to alter Clinton’s steady march towards the nomination.
According to CNN, by the end of the night Clinton had amassed 1,711 delegates, including both pledged and “super” delegates, while Sanders’s tally stood at 939. Clinton is more than half way to the magic number of 2,383 delegates needed to claim the party’s nomination.
