Hillary Clinton had some great wins in the Caribbean this weekend which put her on the cusp of claiming the Democratic presidential nomination and sending rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, back to Capitol Hill. Yet, despite her wins in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Clinton’s attention on Sunday night was focused on Tuesday’s contest in California and five other states.
“We’re going to have a very contentious campaign,” Clinton said late Sunday night at a rally in the California capital, “because I’m going to point out at every single moment that I can why I believe the Republican nominee should never get near the White House.” She urged voters to come out Tuesday, saying she wants to “finish strong in California. It means the world to me.”
After great weekend wins the two U.S. territories, Clinton is now only 26 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count. Clinton won all seven delegates available in the U.S. Virgin Islands and beat Sanders in Puerto Rico by roughly 61 percent to 39 percent. Clinton now has 1,809 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses while Sanders has 1,520.
Though Clinton did not spend much time campaigning in Puerto Rico, the victory is fraught with symbolism for her campaign. Both Sanders and Clinton have pledged to help as the island’s government tries to restructure $70 billion worth of public debt that the governor has said is unpayable. “This is one of the most important political moments for Puerto Rico,” said Emanuel Rosado, a 29-year-old Clinton supporter. “I’m taking action as a result of the economic crisis.”
Two weeks before the primary, in a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, Sanders criticized a rescue deal negotiated by U.S. House leaders and the Obama administration as having colonial overtones. He said the House bill to create a federal control board and allow some restructuring of the territory’s $70 billion debt would make “a terrible situation even worse.” Clinton has also stated her concerns about the board’s powers, but believes the legislation should move forward, or “too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer.”
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