The Note: Clinton Hits the Magic Number

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June 7, 2016

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Clinton Hits the Magic Number

Clinton Clinches

Hillary Clinton hit the delegate threshold to clinch the Democratic nomination, according to ABC News estimates based on additional superdelegates allotted by the Associated Press last night, ABC's MEGHAN KENEALLY reports. Hundreds of those included in the count are unbound superdelegates, but even losses in California and elsewhere for Clinton today, while not anticipated, will not change that outcome. This leaves Clinton the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, and makes her poised to become the first woman to secure a major-party presidential nomination in American history. http://abcn.ws/214ZrT9

What Clinton Said

Closing off her five-day, jam-packed campaign swing through California, Hillary Clinton last night made an appearance alongside celebrities like Cher, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, John Legend, Stevie Wonder and Shonda Rhimes at a fundraising concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, ABC's LIZ KREUTZ notes. Clinton did not make any mention of the fact that she reached the delegates needed for the nomination during her remarks. (But, interestingly, nearly every speaker who spoke ahead of her did). "It's a really big deal for California to vote because California is about the future," Clinton told the crowd. "California is going to help us make the future that we want for every person in this country and we're going to come out of the primary even stronger to take on Donald Trump."

What the Sanders Camp Said

"It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgment, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee's clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer," the Sanders camp said in a statement, ABC's TOM LIDDY reported. "Secretary Clinton does not have and will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to secure the nomination. She will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until July 25 and who can change their minds between now and then." http://abcn.ws/1UD3UKX

Sanders Vows to Fight

Standing with the Golden Gate Bridge dramatically breaking through the fog behind him last night, Bernie Sanders drew differences between his policy proposals and those of Clinton's and highlighted the strengths of his campaign, including his small-dollar donations, while criticizing Clinton for her Super PAC money, ABC's MARYALICE PARKS notes. "Tomorrow in the most important primary in the whole Democratic nominating process. We are going to win here in California," Sanders said. Sanders has promised for weeks to spend the summer working to flip party superdelegates, who do not technically vote until the Democratic National Convention in July, and Monday the senator said that much of his future strategy hinged on the results in California. http://abcn.ws/1PCuy7V

Analysis -- ABC's Rick Klein

If delegates didn't exist, and the popular vote alone counted, Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee. If superdelegates didn't exist, and only pledged delegates determined the outcome, Clinton would be the Democratic nominee. If only superdelegates mattered, and party insiders alone chose the presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee. As it is, under the set of rules all candidates knew were in place when they entered the race, Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. Bernie Sanders has railed against a "rigged" system and a closed process he says disenfranchises his supporters. But the fact is that, where the world now stands, the only way Sanders can become the Democratic nominee is if party insiders rig the process for him. Sanders is free to make his case to superdelegates up through the convention. But he'll be hard-pressed to make a coherent argument about how party insiders shouldn't dominate the process - yet should also make him the Democratic nominee.