Clinton, Sanders make closing arguments ahead of final primaries

Bernie Sanders makes his closing argument in San Francisco
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, six states — California, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Montana — vote in Democratic primaries or caucuses, the last big hurrah of the presidential nominating fight (Washington, D.C., votes next week). The Associated Press declared Hillary Clinton the presumptive nominee late Monday, finding she has enough pledged delegates and committed superdelegates to clinch the nomination, but Clinton downplayed the AP report and the Bernie Sanders campaign said the projections were false, noting that superdelegates don't vote until July 25. At a Sanders rally in San Francisco on Monday night, supporters were livid at AP and other news organizations, The Washington Post reports.

In his 50-minute closing speech, Sanders didn't directly mention the AP projection, instead focusing on what he said would be his win in the "most important primary in the whole Democratic nominating process," California. With the largest number of delegates up for grabs, California is a big prize, though the most likely outcome is that Clinton and Sanders split the delegates fairly evenly. "This campaign has been to me an extraordinary experience," Sanders said at his San Francisco rally. "It gives me enormous optimism about our future."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.