Bernie Sanders’ winning streak continued after he defeated Hillary Clinton in the Wyoming caucus.
With only 14 delegates at stake, the Vermont senator will have little impact on Mrs Clinton’s lead in the contest for the Democratic nomination, especially as they are shared in proportion to the caucus vote. With nearly all the ballots counted, Mr Sanders appeared on course to have won 56 per cent of the vote, compared to 44 per cent for Mrs Clinton.
But it did represent Mr Sanders’ eight victory in nine contests, maintaining morale in his camp ahead of the showdown in New York on April 19.
Once again Mr Sanders, who describes himself as a socialist, has won in a rural state. He is still facing an uphill battle to win black and Hispanic voters in major conurbations and the South, who have thus far overwhelmingly backed the former First Lady.
Mrs Clinton, who has more than half the 2,383 delegates she needs to secure the nomination remains, the overwhelming favourite to be the Democrats’ choice for the White House.
She also has a lead of around 250 so-called superdelegates, senior party figures who can vote as they see fit at the party’s convention at Philadelphia in late July.
She still has a 10-point lead in New York, a state she represented in the Senate; victory there would cement her position as the likely standard bearer.
Nevertheless, the Sanders campaign sought to make much of what they see as the momentum they have gained in a series of contests in the west.
“Senator Sanders won these recent contests by large and impressive margins,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager in a statement.
“As a result, we have cut Secretary Clinton’s delegate lead by 101 since March 15, which amounts to one-third of her then-total margin.
“That dramatic gain leaves us only 214 delegates behind — a margin we can and fully intend to surpass by the conclusion of voting on June 14.”
Meanwhile, in the Republican race, Ted Cruz picked up 13 more delegates at the Colorado Republicans’ state convention, enabling him to complete a clean sweep of all 34 of the state’s representation at the national convention.
Donald Trump, who remains the front runner, was in New York trying to cement his position as favourite for one of the key primaries in the race to secure the nomination.
But the success that Senator Cruz of Texas has enjoyed in picking up delegates in recent weeks has seen him chip away at the billionaire mogul’s lead, increasing the likelihood that the nomination will be contested on the floor of the party convention at Cleveland, Ohio in July.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/09/sanders-wins-wyoming-to-clinch-eight-victories-in-nine-races/
