Bernie Sanders Wins Washington, Alaska & Hawaii But is Victory Enough to Topple Hillary Clinton?
Bernie Sanders' campaign is gaining some traction lately as he racks up convincing victories over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The senator from Vermont is currently on a roll, besting his opponent in five of the last six contests.
Sanders' camp has been right all along and in so far as the recent voting is concerned. While they predicted that they'd fare poorly in the Southern states, they also expected for things to turn for the better as they head West.
The Vermont politician is currently riding high in his string of success that comes from the caucuses in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington. The majority of the three were all for Sanders last Saturday, as with Utah and Idaho last Tuesday.
He has gained more than 100 additional delegates over the past week and has created a dent in Clinton's lead, which now stands at 268. While the momentum is clearly on his side, can Sanders really win the nomination?
Sanders is Optimistic of his Chances
"What we showed yesterday is in fact the momentum is with us," said Sanders. "We think we're going to do well in Wisconsin. We think we got a real shot in New York. And then we go out to California. You go out to Oregon. That's the most progressive part of America."
Despite Clinton's big margin, the race is far from over, especially if Sanders can continue his magic in the upcoming contests. The District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have still yet to cast their votes, along with 18 other states. This accounts for more than a couple of thousand delegates still up for grabs.
The Odds Are Not in His Favor
Despite the fact that he was able to snag unexpected wins against Clinton, Sanders is still facing an uphill battle. For one, all of the last five states he won were all caucuses, but almost all of the remaining states are primaries, which Clinton has so far proven that she can win.
And while he is making some progress winning delegates lately, there is still the superdelegates factor that could prove to be a major roadblock for his nomination aspiration. Clinton has a big margin when it comes to these elected politicians and some high-ranking leaders of the Democratic party.
So, if Sanders hopes to ever get the nomination, he needs to start getting the nod from the superdelegates, as well, whose votes are not necessarily in concurrence with that of their respective constituents.
"It's a little awkward for a politician who happens to be a superdelegate to be voting against the winner of his caucus or primary," said Democratic strategist Steve McMahon. "But by their nature, these superdelegates are part of the political establishment and they have known the Clintons an awfully long time. They're still getting to know Sanders."
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com