Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton in the Washington caucus on Saturday, the latest battle in the ongoing Democratic race for president.
Sanders, the independent Vermont senator, leads Clinton 76 percent to 23.7 percent, with 31 percent of the votes tallied.
“We are making significant inroads in Secretary Clinton’s lead,” Sanders told a crowd in Madison, Wisconsin, following his win in Alaska’s caucus, “and we have … a path toward victory.”
Sanders praised the roughly 1 million supporters who he says have attended his rallies so far, particularly young people, who overwhelmingly supporter Sanders over Clinton.
The state awards 101 delegates, which will be divvied up proportionally depending on the official vote count. If the margins hold, Sanders will take roughy 75 delegates, while Clinton will take around 26 delegates. Every county in the state voted for Barack Obama in 2012.
Just yesterday, Sanders drew 15,000 supporters to Seattle’s Safeco field for a rally.
As a kid @BernieSanders dreamed of being on a MLB field, didn’t think he would be giving a speech. But here he is: pic.twitter.com/COsmrkq1xF
— Kylie Atwood (@kylieatwood) March 26, 2016
Sanders addressed a range of points in Seattle, including polls that show him winning in a general election by a wider margin than Clinton over likely Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Earlier on Friday, Sanders brought 11,500 supporters to Portland’s Moda Center.
While Clinton maintains a sizable lead in the delegate race, Sanders’s win in Washington bodes well for his prospects over the next two months. Clinton’s camp, however, had already conceded that Sanders was likely to win the state and argues it won’t change the state of the race.
Washington is considered an important state in the race because of the key variety of demographics it holds. Counties across the state vary widely in racial diversity, education level, and population density. Sanders’ prior success among educated young white voters has meant he’s been seeking to broaden his voter base and his victories.
The great state of Washington has the opportunity to help lead this country into a political revolution!https://t.co/rsEpSltptR
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 26, 2016
In addition to Alaska and Washington, Hawaii is also holding a Democratic presidential caucus on Saturday, starting at 1pm local time.
The Democratic race continues April 5 in Wisconsin and April 9 in Wyoming.
Photo via AFGE/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
