New York Post

CALIF. SCHEMIN’

Frantic bid for Bernie to quit

- By BOB FREDERICKS and JOE TACOPINO

Hillary Clinton was campaignin­g Monday in a last ditch effort to stave off an embarrassi­ng defeat in California, even as she reportedly locked up enough delegates to capture the Democratic presidenti­al nomination.

With polls showing the race in the Golden State as a neck-andneck fight, Clinton desperatel­y battled to the end for every vote and even appealed to rival Bernie Sanders to do the “right thing” and abandon his campaign.

“Tomorrow is eight years to the day after I withdrew and endorsed then-Senator Obama,” Clinton said, recalling the 2012 presidenti­al race after one of four campaign stops. “I believed it was the right thing to do. No matter what difference­s we had in our long campaign, they paled in comparison to the difference­s we had with the Republican­s.”

As Clinton struggled to seal wins in California and other states that vote Tuesday, The Associated Press issued a bulletin saying that after surveying all 714 superdeleg­ates — party insiders who can vote for whomever they want — it determined that Clinton has exactly 2,383 delegates, the number needed to clinch. She has 1,812 pledged delegates, which she has won in primaries and caucuses, and 571 pledged superdeleg­ates.

Clinton actually downplayed the significan­ce of the report — despite the fact that she’d be the first woman to win a major party’s presidenti­al nomination.

“We are on the brink of a historic moment, but we still have work to do,” she said on Twitter.

And Sanders refused to admit defeat. His campaign responded to the AP report by pointing out that superdeleg­ates can change their minds between now and the July convention.

“It is unfortunat­e that the media, in a rush to judgement, 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,” spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement.

Sanders had already vowed not to quit before the Democratic National Convention.

In addition to California, Democrats are also going to the polls Tuesday in New Jersey, where 126 delegates are at stake, as well as New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Clinton is expected to romp in Jersey.

Meanwhile, CNN reported Monday that President Obama — who has remained on the sidelines during the primary process — would endorse Clinton, possibly as early as Wednesday.

He is scheduled in New York City that day for a fund-raiser and to tape an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that will air Thursday.

Sources said Obama called Sanders on Sunday to talk about the future of the senator’s candidacy.

They would not elaborate on what was discussed.

Polls show the California primary is a virtual dead heat, but Joel Beneson, Clinton’s pollster, predicted a victory.

“I think, like a lot of states, it’s close. I think we win a tight race,” he told CNN.

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