Socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Rhode Island.
With approximately 56 percent of precincts reporting, Sanders defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by more than 14 percentage points, according to the Associated Press.
Both Clinton and Sanders campaigned in the state in recent days, seeking to earn the votes necessary to emerge victorious.
Clinton visited Central Falls and praised Rhode Islanders as “resilient and hardworking,” while noting “I love this little state.” Sanders stumped in Providence and urged Clinton to support a tax on carbon to stem the ill effects of “climate change.”
The state’s polling had erroneously predicted the race between Clinton and Sanders as too close to call. Sanders beat all expectations.
Clinton entered Tuesday with a 2.5-percentage-point in RealClearPolitics average of Rhode Island polls. But a late poll from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling showed Sanders with a 4 percentage point lead.
Sanders’ victory helps the senator make the case that he may still upset Clinton at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia this summer.
