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Bernie Sanders Snags Victory In Wisconsin, Gains Much-Needed Momentum In Democratic Race

By Val Powell
Published on: 01:27 PST, Apr 6, 2016

Bernie Sanders just won the Wisconsin primary, and it’s the sixth consecutive victory for the Vermont Senator. Ever since the primaries started on the East Coast, Sanders’ opponent, Hillary Clinton, and her campaign team have been feeling “the Bern.”

Although the wins of Bernie Sanders and Republican presidential nominee Ted Cruz on Tuesday were foreseeable, they have resulted in a significant impact on their respective rivals and current front-runners of both political parties, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Out of the 86 delegates in Wisconsin, the Vermont Senator won 45, which gave him a 14-point lead over Clinton. As for the Republicans, Ted Cruz won 33 while the real estate mogul had 3. The third-place candidate in the Republican race, John Kasich, did not get any of the delegates’ votes.

According to reports, polls conducted before the Wisconsin primaries showed that the Vermont senator was leading two to eight points ahead of the former first lady. The lack of diversity reportedly worked for the senator, as he is favored by white voters as opposed to Hillary Clinton’s popularity among black and Latino citizens. Also, the state has a strong network of young voters, a demographic that has expressed their strong support for Bernie Sanders.

Although many people claim that it is statistically impossible for Bernie Sanders to narrow down the gap between him and Hillary Clinton, supporters are saying that his Wisconsin win gave him a chance at improving his standing in Pennsylvania and New York.

The Clinton campaign did recognize the fact that the Vermont Senator could make it difficult for their candidate to win the Empire State. Bernie Sanders grew up in Brooklyn, which is also where the campaign headquarters of the Democrat front-runner is set up.

Adam Seth Levine, a political scientist at Cornell University, stated that the candidates’ chances of falling and rising are also based on media narratives. Bernie Sanders’ win in Wisconsin is big news in the media, which has boosted his standing in the upcoming primaries.

At a rally before the Wisconsin win was announced, Bernie Sanders told his supporters that if he wins in the state, he would likely win in New York, which in turn would nearly secure his spot in the White House.

However, reports say that most polls have Hillary Clinton leading in New York. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Sanders was met with criticism, as he reportedly had no grasp on issues such as foreign policy.

When asked about Israeli relations, the senator said that he didn’t know the answer to some of the questions. He also said that he did not think much about the growing problem concerning the Islamic State.

After the Wisconsin primaries, the Vermont Senator has garnered 1,056 delegates, but Hillary Clinton still leads with 1,743 delegates. To secure the Democratic nomination, one of the candidates must have 2,383 delegates, and as of now, there are 1,966 still available in the remaining primaries. In case none of them reach the required number of delegates, a convention will take place this July, and Bernie Sanders hopes to sway the superdelegates who have pledged to vote for the former Secretary of State.

Team Bernie Sanders wants superdelegates to vote for the favorite candidate. He contests that he is popular in most states and that delegates and superdelegates should listen to the voice of the citizens.

Out of the 500 superdelegates, 469 are backing Hillary Clinton.

As for the Republicans, Ted Cruz’s win in Wisconsin could cost GOP front-runner Donald Trump a win as the Republican presidential nominee.

[Photo by Theo Stroomer/Getty Images]

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