After weekend wins, Clinton is 26 delegates short of clinching nomination

Hillary Clinton takes a selfie in Sacramento ahead of the California primary

(Image credit: Gabrielle Lurie/AFP/Getty Images)

published 6 June 2016

Hillary Clinton won decisive victories in Sunday's Democratic primary in Puerto Rico and Saturday's Virgin Islands caucus, putting her just 26 delegates shy of the 2,383 she needs to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, according to an Associated Press tally. But like rival Bernie Sanders, Clinton is focusing on California, one of five states that hold nominating contests on Tuesday. At a rally in Sacramento on Sunday, Clinton urged her supporters to turn out on Tuesday, saying she wants to "finish strong in California. It means the world to me." She will almost certainly secure the last 26 delegates in New Jersey on Tuesday, before polls close in California.

In the Virgin Islands, Clinton got all seven delegates up for grabs, and Puerto Rico handed Clinton at least 33 of its 60 delegates, as Clinton beat Sanders 61 percent to 39 percent. With those wins, Clinton has 1,809 pledged delegates to Sanders' 1,520. So Clinton's securing of the nomination on Tuesday will require superdelegates — with those included, Clinton leads Sanders 2,357 to 1,566, according to the AP's count. Sanders is not giving up, pledging to take his argument that he's the superior candidate all the way to the Democratic convention in July, hoping to flip superdelegates. On Sunday, one superdelegate, Puerto Rico's Andres Lopez, got off the fence and endorsed Clinton, saying, "It is time to focus on squashing 'El Trumpo.'"

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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.