Clinton counting on N.J. delegates

[Iamaartist]

Last edited Thu Jun 2, 2016, 05:08 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.northjersey.com/news/jackson-clinton-counting-on-n-j-delegates-1.1607513



With New Jersey set to vote next week in the final round of Democratic presidential primaries, the state’s 142 delegates could put Hillary Clinton over the top and ensure she wins the nomination — if the superdelegates pledged to her are included.

But rival Sen. Bernie Sanders points out that those superdelegates, the party officials who are not bound by the results of the state primaries, are free to change their votes until the national convention in Philadelphia in July.

And he appears ready to continue fighting to convince them that he’d be the best nominee.

Sanders is right, historically, about the role of superdelegates. But interviews with three New Jersey members of Congress, including two who jumped on the Clinton bandwagon recently, show his expectation that the party’s most inside insiders will switch is optimistic at best, and unrealistic at worst.

The Clinton supporters cited several reasons: They do not believe she will be a weak candidate against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Indeed, they think she’s the stronger choice, and that voter disapproval of Sanders would increase with the additional scrutiny he and his proposals would face as the nominee. They also don’t think Sanders, who has never run as a Democrat before, has done what’s needed to deserve the party nomination.

At a minimum, it will take much more than last week’s critical report by the Inspector General’s Office about Clinton’s email use at the State Department to make her supporters turn to Sanders.

On the Republican side, Trump secured the nomination last week and has no plans to campaign for New Jersey’s primary votes beyond his one appearance in the state earlier this month at a fundraiser to help Governor Christie and the state Republican Party pay off their debts.

Some delegates supporting Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who with Ohio Gov. John Kasich remains on the Republican ballot against Trump in New Jersey, are still campaigning, and could even win a few seats at the convention. But they are running mostly to have a say on platform and rules issues.

So the real action in next week’s primary is on the Democratic side. The state has gotten more attention from candidates than it has in most past presidential election years, but it is still being

[SunSeeker]

1. K & R

[Iamaartist]

2. K&R

[BobbyDrake]

3. I think the superdelegatea for Clinton should go public. #WontSwitch2Bernie, maybe.

Send a message already. It's this god-damned coyness to placate him that's giving him an angle to continue exploiting.

[eastwestdem]

4. It's hard to imagine many superdelegates switching after Hillary clinches.

But it would be a good idea to get as many of them on the record as possible.

[George II]

5. Clinton will win by no less than 10%. I wonder where she'll be spending next Tuesday night?

She's on her way to California right now and was planning on staying there until the primary. It's going to be a big night, finally putting this behind her (although she's been campaigning against Trump for a couple of weeks already)