Clinton wins Puerto Rico in race for delegates
June 6, 2016
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday claimed victory over Senator Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic primary after officials counted roughly a third of the votes cast.
"We just won Puerto Rico! Thanks to the Island of Enchantment for the victory," Clinton said in a bilingual message on her Twitter account.
According to US broadcaster CNN, Clinton won 62.5 percent of the vote, while Sanders garnered 37.1 percent.
Clinton is expected to receive at least 31 of Puerto Rico's 60 pledged delegates, which would bring her total number of delegates to 2,355, including super delegates allowed to vote for either candidate at the Democrats' summer convention.
However, without the super delegates, Clinton has 1,807 pledged delegates compared to Sanders' 1,516.
The Vermont senator has vowed to fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, with a possible contested convention along the way.
Sanders said he could persuade many of the several hundred super delegates to change their allegiance to Clinton in support of his campaign.
'Dependent on super delegates'
On Tuesday, Californians will head to the polls to vote on who should represent the Democratic Party in the presidential race.
Both Democratic presidential candidates have boosted their campaign presence in the key state, which will allocate 475 pledged delegates.
"I believe on Tuesday I will have decisively won the popular vote and I will have decisively won the pledged delegate majority," Clinton told CNN from California.
But Sanders told the American broadcaster that Clinton will not have enough delegates to claim the nomination.
"Hillary Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to win the Democratic nomination at the end of the nominating process on June 14. Won't happen. She will be dependent on super delegates," Sanders said.
"The Democratic National Convention will be a contested convention," he added.
ls/bw (AFP, AP, Reuters)