The Associated Press and NBC News have announced Hillary Clinton has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, defeating Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The announcement came ahead of today’s primary in California and contests in five other states: New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota. Both news organizations named Clinton the victor based on unofficial polls of unelected superdelegates. If the projections stand, Clinton would become the first woman to ever be the presidential candidate of a major political party in U.S. history. Speaking in Los Angeles Monday, Clinton attacked presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton: “So, whether it’s immigrants that he’s insulted, Muslims, people with disabilities, POWs, women, federal judges, the list keeps growing longer. And it is wrong of someone running for president of the United States to engage in that kind of hateful rhetoric and demagoguery.”
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders accused the AP and NBC of defying the DNC’s own rules by lumping together pledged delegates with unelected superdelegates, who can change their vote at any point.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “The point is that tomorrow in California we have the most important primary. The people of California have the right to determine who is going to be president of the United States, not necessarily having to listen to AP or NBC. And I hope that they will come out in large numbers and make it clear that they want real change in this country, that they’re tired of establishment politics and establishment economics, and that they want a government that represents all of us and not just the 1 percent.”
We’ll have more on the Democratic race after headlines.