WASHINGTON — Bernie Sanders has scored three wins in Western caucus contests, giving a powerful boost to his supporters but doing little to affect the super delegates already pledged to Hillary Clinton.
Sanders swept all three states of Washington, Alaska and Hawaii by substantial margins. His biggest success of the night came from Washington, where he earned 73% of the vote compared to 26% for Clinton.
While results in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii barely dented Hillary Clinton’s significant delegate lead, Sanders’ wins underscored her persistent vulnerabilities within her own party, particularly with young voters and liberal activists who have been inspired by her rival’s unapologetic liberal message.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Sanders cast his performance as part of a Western comeback, saying he expects to close the delegate gap with Clinton as the contest moves to the more liberal northeastern states, including her home state of New York. He also said his campaign is increasing its outreach to super delegates.
