Hillary Clinton was declared the winner of the California primary Wednesday morning, gaining needed momentum as she looks to unify the Democratic Party as its presumptive nominee.
According to the Associated Press, Clinton topped Bernie Sanders after both of them campaigned almost exclusively in the state in the week leading up. Sanders had been hoping for a big win there to cut the delegate deficit he faced, even before Clinton became the party’s presumptive nominee on Monday night.
The former first lady was buoyed by institutional support from California politicians throughout the Golden State. Gov. Jerry Brown, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Xavier Beccera all backed her campaign. Meanwhile, Sanders campaigned throughout with actors Danny Glover and Susan Sarandon, and musician Dave Matthews.
With the win, Clinton will take home the majority of the state’s 546 delegates and add to her lead over Sanders. She has planned campaign events for early next week in Ohio and Pennsylvania as she turns her attention to the general election.
Despite the loss, Sanders has vowed that he will continue his campaign through next Tuesday and compete in the Washington D.C. primary. Campaign manager Jeff Weaver said on Tuesday that the Vermont senator is planning to hold a campaign event in the district on Sunday.
Heading into Tuesday, Clinton held a 2-point lead (47.7-45.7 percent) over Sanders, according to the final RealClearPolitics average in the state.
