Clinton’s emotional victory in primaries
Hillary Clinton admitted being “really emotional” on becoming the first female presumptive presidential nominee of a major US political party, hailing it a “historic moment” for women and America. Mrs Clinton surpassed the threshold needed to clinch victory even before six states, including California, went to the polls yesterday.
HILLARY CLINTON is celebrating becoming the first female presumptive presidential nominee of a major US political party, hailing it a “historic moment” for women and America.
The former First Lady surpassed the threshold needed to clinch victory even before six states, including California, went to the polls yesterday.
She admitted being “really emotional” and declared the achievement would “make a difference”.
Mrs Clinton said: “Parents can look at their daughter, just like they can look at their son, and say you can be anything you want to be including the president of the United States.”
She became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party exactly eight years after being defeated by Barack Obama in 2008.
In her concession speech then Mrs Clinton said: “Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before.”
It had been expected that she would secure the nomination after last night’s results in California, New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota. But as early as Monday night the Associated Press declared she had enough support after canvassing “superdelegates”.
The superdelegates are Democratic Party officials able to make their own choice, unlike ordinary delegates who are governed by the popular vote. Be- fore polls opened, Bernie Sanders, Mrs Clinton’s opponent, promised to fight on regardless, saying he would try to change superdelegates’ minds.
Mr Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont, has said the delegate system is “rigged” against him. He claims to have a better chance than Mrs Clinton of beating Donald Trump in a general election.
Ahead of voting yesterday, polls in California, the most populous state, were close and a victory for Mr Sanders there would dent Mrs Clinton’s hopes of unifying the party.
She will enter the general election against Mr Trump with the highest disapproval ratings of any Democratic nominee, and is considered “dishonest” by a majority of Americans, according to polls.
During the primary campaign Mrs Clinton was damaged by Mr Sanders’s attacks in which he accused her of cosying up to Wall Street banks.
She also struggled to compete with the passion engendered by Mr Sanders. Some voters see Mrs Clinton as calculating and out of touch. In private some party officials spoke of an “enthusiasm gap”. Mrs Clinton herself has admitted to not being a natural campaigner.
Barbara Boxer, the US Senator from California, said: “She’s not a back slapper, she’s not someone who’s good at big rallies. But it takes a certain type of toughness to keep getting up when people say you’re shrill and aggressive, where a man is described as assertive.”