Bernie Sanders won big in Wisconsin over Hillary Clinton but at the end of the night he came away with 46 delegates to the former Secretary of State’s 36. The net gain of ten made very little of a dent in his attempt catch Clinton the Democratic front runner.
That said Sanders continues to generate big crowds and has done a good job of casting light on Clinton’s lingering vulnerabilities with parts of the Democratic coalition while doing little to slow her path to the eventual nomination.
If things hold to form then Sanders win will translate into a fundraising windfall worth several million dollars for the Senator from Vermont, and give him a boost of momentum ahead of New York’s critical primary two weeks from now. But while the victory keeps Sanders on the path his advisers insist can still lead him to the Democratic nomination, the delegates he netted from Wisconsin will do little to veer Clinton off her course.
Clinton had all but conceded Wisconsin, sending fundraising emails to her supporters during the previous 24 hours preparing them for defeat. While still the heavy favorite for her party’s nomination, Clinton hasn’t won a contest since Arizona on March 22.
But she is spending time and money on the April 19th New York primary where she hopes to put Sanders away once and for all. It will be a big showdown in a state that has not seen their primary mean something since 1992.
Meanwhile, look for Sanders to pick up a win this weekend as Wyoming holds a caucus on Saturday, and all evidence points to a rout. The Vermont senator has won every state bordering Wyoming that has already voted, and caucuses in the overwhelmingly white Mountain West have delivered Sanders some of the biggest victories of the year.
But now it seems like for Clinton and Sanders it is all about New York on April 19th. The winner there if it Clinton it is game over, if Sanders wins that could be a game changer for him.
