Clinton Secures Democratic Nomination After Big Wins in California and New Jersey

Hillary Clinton

After a long and contentious primary process, Hillary Clinton became the first woman in American history to be a major party’s presidential nominee. A string of victories on the final Super Tuesday of the primary calendar pushed her total delegate count past the 2,383 threshold.

The former secretary of state won Democratic primaries in California, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota, putting her total delegate count at 2,755, as you can see in the InsideGov visualization below.

 

The biggest prize of Tuesday night was California, where 548 total delegates were up for grabs. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders crisscrossed the state in the weeks leading up to the primary, hanging his campaign’s hopes on a strong showing there. Polls leading up to the primary indicated a tight race, but the results show Clinton won by a larger margin than anticipated. With 99.7 percent reporting, Clinton has 56.6 percent of the vote to Sanders’ 42.4 percent.

 

Sanders performed better in the northern and eastern parts of California, while Clinton did well in urban and coastal areas in the lower two-thirds of the state. She logged definitive victories in San Francisco and Los Angeles counties, for example, where she won by 11.7 percent and 18.4 percent, respectively.

 

California is an expansive state, with a diverse and large population. A recent poll indicated that Sanders had made inroads with Hispanic voters in California, with 46 percent in support of him.

But a look at county-level demographic data shows Sanders continued his trend this primary season of performing better in areas where the population is predominantly white. In every California county where Sanders won on Tuesday, the population is at least 69 percent Caucasian. In Humboldt County, for example, the population is 82 percent white. Sanders won there by 37 percent, the largest margin of victory in the state.

 

Use the drop-down menu to see income, race and education data for each county in the state.

Clinton continued to do well in areas that are more racially diverse. In Santa Clara County — where American Community Survey data shows the population is 49.27 percent Caucasian — Clinton won by 29 percent. San Francisco and Los Angeles counties, where she won by double-digit margins, are also diverse, at 49.48 percent and 53.43 percent Caucasian, respectively.

New Jersey was the second-largest delegate prize of the night, with 142 available delegates. Clinton won in all but two counties in the state, securing a big victory with 63.3 percent to Sanders’ 36.7 percent. The demographic trends continued in the Garden State. The largest margin of victory there was Clinton’s 46.4-point win in Essex County, which is 42.42 percent Caucasian.

 

Use the drop-down menu to see income, race and education data for each county in the state.

Tuesday’s results reflect the larger story of this cycle’s Democratic nomination race. As the county-by-county breakdown of the U.S. shows, Clinton consistently did better in more diverse pockets of the country. She performed especially well in the South and West, where larger portions of African-Americans and Latinos live.

 

Use the drop-down menu to see how Clinton and Sanders performed on a county level throughout the U.S.

Despite the string of wins and an insurmountable delegate lead, Sanders promised his supporters on Tuesday night that he would continue to fight for the Democratic nomination. During a late-night rally in Santa Monica, Calif., Sanders thanked his supporters, rebuked the principles put forth by presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and said he would compete in next Tuesday’s primary in Washington, D.C.

Sanders also vowed to stay in the race until the Democratic convention in late July in Philadelphia.

“We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington, D.C., and then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia,” Sanders said to an eruption of cheers. “The struggle continues.”

More: Bernie’s Bucks: Sanders’ Fundraising — and Spending — Prowess in 5 Charts

Follow InsideGov on Twitter: @inside_gov

Research More About the 2016 Election

Haute Tease

  • Breathe Review – Beautiful, Shocking, A Breathless Love Story

    Breathe, from Bleecker Street Films and Participant Media, brings to the screen the true story of Robin and Diana Cavendish, their remarkable commitment, love and desire to be together against all odds and to dare to change the world.

     
  • World News: The Republic’s View of the 2024 Presidential Election

    As the 2024 presidential election looms, two contenders are emerging to occupy the White House. But are they the best representatives of their parties and do either have all the abilities to sit in the Oval Office?

     
  • Interview & Review: Speaking with Sam Fox, Fox Restaurant Visionary, On All Things Epicurean

    Sam Fox, the creative visionary behind Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC) and owner of Scottsdale's successful Olive & Ivy and The Henry (which are both reviewed), continues making strides in the national marketplace while creating a niche all his own.

     
  • Auto, Yachts, Jets: Glickenhaus - 24 Hours of Nürburgring

    The Glickenhaus 004C was running in the top 15 in qualifying when we made the decision to pull the car to assess a spike in engine temperature prior to the final top 30 shoot-out. An unanticipated challenge, but as always, the Glickenhaus Team is ready to face it head-on. 

     
  • Home, Décor: Tips to Protect Against Furniture Damage

    Luxury furniture is an investment that needs to be protected. Whether it’s a pricy chair or an antique side table, learn about common ways most furniture damage occurs to extend the life of rare or expensive pieces.

     
  • L’ENA et les Elites

    Remplacée par l’Institut du service public, l’Ecole Nationale d’Administration a longtemps concentré sur elle un ensemble de critiques visant à dénoncer des lauréats accusés de former une caste élitiste hors-sol. Mais cette stigmatisation ne révélerait-elle pas une angoisse latente nourrie par les évolutions sociétales.