Clinton declares victory in Kentucky

Sanders wins Oregon, but race’s dynamics are little changed

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton declared victory in the Kentucky primary on Tuesday, potentially disrupting a string of expected primary losses this month that had threatened to weaken her even as she turned her focus to her likely matchup against Republican Donald Trump in the general election.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, was declared the winner of Oregon’s Democratic primary.

The outcomes will do little to change the dynamics in the race. In Kentucky, Sanders had hoped to continue a winning streak that began in Indiana and West Virginia this month.

With 99.8 percent of precincts counted, Clinton was ahead by less than 1 percentage point, and the Associated Press declared the race too close to call. Asked whether Sanders would consider seeking a recount, spokesman Michael Briggs said in an email: “We’ll take a closer look at the numbers in Kentucky and make a decision on Wednesday.”

Although Sanders had been favored to win Kentucky in recent polls, Clinton’s advisers sensed an opportunity to pull out a victory and invested heavily in the state in recent

days. Clinton campaigned in Kentucky throughout the weekend and sent surrogates to appear on her behalf, including former president Bill Clinton.

Sanders drew large audiences across the state, while both Clintons at times faced unfriendly crowds in a state that once supported Bill Clinton but that, in part because of the decline in the coal industry, has evolved into a red state.

Sanders spent time and money in recent days in other states, including Oregon and California. At a rally in Carson, Calif., late Tuesday, Sanders said: “It appears tonight that we’re going to end up with about half of the delegates from Kentucky.”

He also declared that winning the nomination

was possible. “No one can predict the future, but I think we have a real shot to win the primaries in a number of the states coming up,” he said. “Don’t tell the secretary of state. She might get nervous. I think we’re going to win here in California.”

Ahead of voting Tuesday, Sanders trailed Clinton by 283 pledged delegates, which are awarded based on the results of primaries and caucuses, according to the most recent tally by the Associated Press. He would need to win lopsided victories in nearly all of the remaining primaries to overtake her in the delegate count.

Oregon also held Democratic and Republican primaries Tuesday, and

Trump and Sanders were declared the winners shortly after polls closed.

While those primaries were playing out Tuesday, Sanders was locked in a controversy with Democratic Party leaders in Nevada over the conduct of his supporters at the state convention over the weekend, which was cut short after security officials declared they could no longer contain the disruption.

The dispute raised the prospects for a contentious nominating convention in Philadelphia this summer something that Democratic leaders say would be harmful to the party as well as to Clinton’s prospects for preparing to confront Trump.

And like Tuesday’s close results in Kentucky, the fight also highlighted the never-ending nature of the Democratic nominating process — and the growing hard feelings between Democratic Party leaders and loyal Sanders fans.

State party officials accused Sanders supporters of inciting violence and sending threatening messages to party officials, including the state party chairwoman, Roberta Lange. Afterward, proSanders graffiti was found scrawled on the state party headquarters building. The party filed a formal complaint with the Democratic National Committee about the conduct of Sanders supporters.

On Tuesday, Sanders condemned alleged threats, but he also stood by unhappy supporters who had claimed that state convention rules were being carried out unfairly to favor Clinton.

Sanders called the Nevada Democratic Party’s claim “nonsense.”

“If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned,” Sanders said. “Unfortunately, that was not the case at the Nevada convention.”

The Clinton campaign did not respond to a request for comment, but Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid called on Sanders to condemn the violence.