HILLARY CLINTON’S supposedly inevitable ascent to the Democratic nomination hit turbulence Tuesday when she get walloped in the West Virginia primary by Bernie Sanders. –in part due to her misguided pledge to “put coal miners out of business.
The victory gives the socialist Vermont Senator the majority of the 20 pledged delegates that were at stake in the Appalachian state stalling Clinton’s White House momentum.
“West Virginia is a working class state,” Sanders told supporters in Oregon Tuesday night. “And like many other states working people are hurting. We need an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent.”
Clinton captured just 36 percent of the West Virginia vote to Sanders’ 50 percent. The former Secretary of State did herself no favors in the coal rich state when she vowed on CNN in March “to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” She later backtracked, claiming she was merely touting her clear-energy plan to create jobs because coal was a declining industry.
But many West Virginians who voted overrwhelmingly for Clinton over Barack Obama in 2008 — weren’t buying it.
“How would you say you are going to put a lot of coal miners out of jobs, and then come in here and us how you’re going to be our friend.” unemployed coal worker Bo Copley asked her at a campaign event on May 2. On Tuesday, other state residents echoed those concepts and said they were voting for Donald Trump — who had to seal contest in Tuesday’s Republican Primary. West Virginia allows cross-writing.
Trump also won the Nebraska primary with ease. To mail down the Democratic nomination, a candidate needs to capture 2,367 delegates. Clinton had 2,228 before polls closed Tuesday evening.
That included323superdelegates, elite party members who can support any candidates Sanders had 1,464 delegates including superdelegates.
Despite an uphill battle to become the party’s standard bearer, Sanders has vowed to take his campaign all the way to the Democrats’ July 25 – 28 nominating convention in Philadelphia.
Posted by Ainhoa Aristizabal — Unruly Hearts editor
UNRULY HEARTS 