Clinton, Sanders make closing arguments ahead of final primaries


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."
Dave Matthews played an acoustic set during Sanders' rally, but Clinton closed out her California swing at a theater in Los Angeles Monday night with performances by Stevie Wonder and John Legend ("Blowin' in the Wind," "Superstition"), Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, and other artists, plus speeches by Cher, Jamie Foxx, Magic Johnson, Shonda Rhimes, and other celebrities. Clinton spoke only for about six minutes, saying "we're going to come out of the primary even stronger to take on Donald Trump"; the other speakers had more pointed remarks about Trump. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti mentioned the AP news, drawing cheers from the audience, but he quickly warned that the race isn't over yet. Clinton will likely be more celebratory on Tuesday night, when she holds a rally at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Eight years ago exactly, Clinton noted pointedly on Monday, she won the California primary then immediately dropped out of the race and endorsed her Democratic challenger, Barack Obama. Sanders says he will campaign until the Democratic National Convention in July.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
The Week contest: Flight fraud
Puzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday