Bernie Sanders Wins Maine Caucuses, Looks To Ohio Primary For Next Big Victory
After notching victories in Kansas and Nebraska on Saturday, Bernie Sanders chalked up another noteworthy win when he was declared the winner of Maine’s Democratic caucuses on Sunday night. According to ABC News, a strong voter turnout contributed to the Vermont senator’s victory. Indeed, a CBS News affiliate noted that some voters were given the option of casting absentee ballots because caucus venues were clogged by unprecedented crowds.
A total of 25 delegates were at stake in the Maine Caucuses and, according to Associated Press projections by NPR, Bernie Sanders will likely claim most of the state’s 25 delegates. Sanders won 47 delegates in his victories on Super Saturday, but despite his recent gains, Hillary Clinton enjoys a formidable lead due to the benefit of heavily weighted “superdelegates.”
Nevertheless, Bernie Sanders says that his campaign sees a “path to victory” in the midst of a chaotic and unprecedented election season. Speaking to George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week, he noted that geography holds the key to his ultimate victory over rival Hillary Clinton.
Sanders has turned his attention to the Rust Belt region over the course of recent weeks, with special emphasis on a potential upset situation in the Ohio primaries on March 15. As noted by Bloomberg News, Sanders made an effort to connect with the community’s African-American voters at a town hall meeting in Cleveland on Saturday, courting a demographic category that has largely gravitated to Hillary Clinton in previous contests.
In his dialogue with voters, Sanders shared how his own upbringing in a low-income family shaped his political outlook. He also talked about race relations in America, noting that racial tensions have been exploited by some candidates in the present election cycle.
Although many polls favor Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the forthcoming Ohio primaries, Sanders has slowly closed a once substantial gap in the race over the course of recent months. A collection of major polling data by Huffington Post even shows Sanders beating Clinton, 45 percent to 44 percent as per a Baldwin Wallace University Poll. Quinnipiac’s results project a different outcome altogether, in which Hillary Clinton carries the Buckeye State by a sizable margin of 15 points.
In Michigan, Bernie Sanders trails Hillary Clinton by around 11 points according to a poll by CBS News and YouGov. Ahead of that state’s March 8 primary, the Democrats met in Flint, Michigan, on Sunday night for a debate. While the rivals predictably crossed swords on a number of points, both agreed that the state’s Republican governor Rick Snyder should resign over the water crisis in Flint. In highlights transcribed by the New York Times, Bernie Sanders accused Snyder of “a dereliction of duty,” and Clinton said she would continue to bring attention to the situation in Flint.
Interestingly enough, while Democrats are still very much in the midst of a decision process as to which candidate should ultimately get their party’s nomination, national polling data collected by Real Clear Politics shows that Sanders would fare well against any of the GOP candidates in a general election. While Hillary Clinton would easily best Donald Trump according to an aggregate of polling data, she could face significant challenges in defeating the likes of John Kasich and Ted Cruz. But in head-to-head contests against each of the Republican contenders, Bernie Sanders claims victory in almost every scenario.
[Photo by John Gress/Getty Images]
