News / Politics

Sanders won’t end campaign if doesn't win California

Sunday, 29 May 2016 8:40 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 29 May 2016 9:11 PM ]

US Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters at an election rally in Ventura, California on May 26, 2016. (AFP photo)

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says if he does not win the California primary on June 7, it will make his path toward victory much harder but he can still clinch the presidential nomination.

“California is very, very important, 475 superdelegates,” Sanders said on NBC News on Sunday when asked whether his campaign is over if he loses in California.

"Obviously, if we don't do well in California, it will make our path much, much harder. No question about it. But I think we have a good chance to winning California, maybe win big, and maybe win four or five of the other states that are off on June 7th,” he said.

Sanders, an Independent senator from Vermont who is seeking the Democratic nomination, called California the "big enchilada” in his bid to overtake frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Clinton is maintaining a strong lead over Sanders in the Democratic presidential race, but the Vermont senator has vowed to stay in the race until the Democratic convention this summer.

Sanders said that the delegate-rich state is "enormously important,” adding that his campaign has had great success over the past several months and vowed to continue battling for delegates.

"You know, my campaign has been written off from before we started. Nobody thought we would do anything," he said.

"We've now won 20 states, primaries and caucuses, and I think by the end of the process, we may win half of the states. So we're going to fight till the last vote is cast and try to appeal to the last delegate that we can,” he stated.

“What I want to do, and I think we can, is win California here, and win under the big vote, do very, very well in the other five states,” Sanders said.

According to a recent poll, Sanders and Clinton are in a virtual tie in California, the country’s most populous state and one that until recently was strongly in Clinton’s favor.

Clinton is leading Sanders among likely voters, 46 percent to 44 percent, within the margin of error, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.

A poll by the same institute in March found Clinton with a lead of 48 percent to 41 percent over Sanders.

Even if Clinton gains enough delegates to capture her party’s presidential nomination, a loss in California would provide a sour and deflating end to her primary campaign.

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