Elizabeth Warren said she needed
some time to decide who to support.
Her departure may clear the path for
Bernie Sanders in particular – the sole progressive candidate left in the race.
Despite early momentum for her
campaign, Elizabeth Warren failed to convert enthusiasm into votes in the first
primary contests of 2020, not winning a single state.
With Elizabeth Warren’s departure, a Democratic race that began with a
record high of female candidates is now effectively left to two male
front-runners, who praised her and her campaign.
Asked how she made the decision to drop out, Elizabeth Warren said she
returned to the issues that anchored her campaign – the vast costs of student
loan debt, healthcare, and childcare that plague millions of Americans.
The former Harvard law professor was vaulted into the political arena more
than a decade ago as she pushed for tougher regulation of the financial sector
after the 2008 economic collapse.
In 2010, Elizabeth Warren helped the Obama White House set up the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau, a Wall Street watchdog agency she championed.
Two years later, Elizabeth Warren rode that momentum to a seat in the Senate for Massachusetts.
Troy Price, the chairman of the Democratic
Party in Iowa, has resigned after last week’s caucus was beset with technical
issues, questions over accuracy and delays.
In his resignation letter, he said that “the precinct and satellite
caucus meetings themselves went well”.
However, Troy Price conceded that the process of reporting results was
“unacceptable”.
At the last week’s caucuses, Pete Buttigieg won with a narrow 0.1% victory
over Bernie Sanders in terms of delegates, while Senator Sanders won the
popular vote.
Since then, the Sanders campaign has asked for a “recanvassing”
check of the vote.
Iowa Democratic leaders will elect a new local leader on February 15.
Troy Price said in his letter:
“While it is my desire to stay in
this role and see this process through to completion, I do believe it is time
for the Iowa Democratic Party to begin looking forward.
“My presence in my current role makes that more
difficult.”
He then added that the Iowa
Democrats were “not the only party to blame”, and mentioned the
partners and vendors who were also involved.
The Iowa caucus is the important first step in choosing the challenger to
the incumbent president.
Primaries and caucuses are a string of nationwide state-by-state votes,
which culminate in the Democratic nominee being chosen at the party convention
in July.
Although Iowa awards only 41 of the
1,991 delegates required to become the Democratic White House nominee, the
state’s vote is usually considered the first clear indication of each
candidate’s standing within the race.
This year the Iowa Democratic Party
distributed a new app, called Shadow,
to precinct officials that was supposed to help them report results more
quickly.
It was an issue with this app, which
the party said was a coding error that led to the delay in results and ultimate
chaos on February 3.
Pete Buttigieg declared victory for
himself that same day, before any of the results were released.
In the end, the results were finally released three days later than
expected.
By that time the chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had
already weighed in, calling for a review of the vote totals.
The second vote that took place – the primary in New Hampshire on February
11 – was more clear-cut. Bernie Sanders came in first, with Pete Buttigieg
second and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar in third place.
Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, previously considered frontrunners, came in fourth and fifth – each with zero delegates.
What a person drives tells us a lot about them. This information is even more true when applied to politicians. We can learn about their true feelings on the environment, waste and safety, among other things.
Since it is often difficult to get any real truth out of political candidates these days, we decided to investigate their personal vehicle choices to ascertain critical data needed before going to polls in November and beyond. Of course, we sincerely hope that at least all of the candidates have taken an approved defensive driving course. Road safety is an important part of being a responsible citizen.
Now, we do not expect anyone out there to change their vote based on this research alone. However, use it as part of a broad-based decision about the candidates.
Without further ado, here is what the major presidential candidates, both current and former, drive on a regular basis. Some will shock you, others are as expected.
Hillary Clinton
As both the former First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has lots of security forces protecting her. Obviously she needs a large vehicle to transport this entourage wherever she goes. So, it is with little wonder that Clinton has a large Dodge Conversion Van.
This vehicle has a large top and extended rear that reminds us of vans from the 1970s. In fact, the Washington press corps refers to the Clinton transport as the “Scooby Van.”
Hillary has a spotless driving record, largely because she has not actually been behind the wheel since 1996! We do know that in law school, Clinton had a 1963 Oldsmobile Cutlass. The car cost a mere $120 and proved to be a lemon. On cold nights Clinton had to remove the battery and keep it warm in her dorm room. Otherwise, the car would not run the next day.
Bernie Sanders
This democratic-socialist out of Vermont enjoys a reputation for being green. Some of his most ardent supporters are those on the left of the political spectrum who embrace environmental awareness. One would expect Sanders to drive around in a nice, eco-friendly, gas efficient vehicle. Perhaps even an electric car.
Well, you might be disappointed to learn that “the Bern” has a luxury Lincoln Town Car SUV. There is no way he can claim this car is green, with its dismal 20 miles per gallon on a good day. “Say it ain’t so, Bernie!”
Now, to be fair, Bernie did drive around in a electric hybrid years ago. Seems he has a more lavish lifestyle these days.
Donald Trump
The Donald is a man of his word when it comes to car choice. He says he is rich and proves it. Trump has all of the top brands, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, McLaren, etc. The list goes on and on…
Trump plans to make America great again. Well, he should start with the car industry because based on his garage, Trump prefers foreign automakers. Ouch!
Jeb Bush
Jeb did not get very far in the Republican campaign. Perhaps that has something to do with his car choice. Though Americans often claim they want more down-to-earth candidates, when they had one in Jeb, the people tossed him to the side.
This Bush takes Uber when possible and drives his own eco-friendly Ford Fusion hybrid. His wife Columba has a tiny Mini Cooper. Now that is as real as it gets.
How Did Your Favorite Presidential Candidate Do?
So, did your favorite current or past candidate live up to expectations? Probably not. But, nobody is perfect. That is why we recommend everyone, even the presidential candidates, take an online defensive driving course to brush up on those road skills.
Michelle Obama has denounced Donald Trump’s “hate” while backing Hillary Clinton for president at the Democratic National Convention.
In her speech in Philadelphia, the first lady said to loud cheers and applause: “The hateful language… from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country.
“Don’t stoop to their level. Our motto is, when they go low, we go high.”
Earlier, Bernie Sanders urged Democrats to back Hillary Clinton.
Photo Getty Images
Hillary Clinton will accept the Democratic presidential nomination on July 28, when a roll call of how states’ delegates are voting is to be read out.
“While Donald Trump is busy insulting one group after another, Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” Bernie Sanders said.
Some of Bernie Sanders’ supporters booed at mention of Hillary Clinton’s name; others wore duct tape with the word “silenced” over their mouths.
Michelle Obama’s speech was widely seen as an attack on Donald Trump, although she did not mention the Republican nominee by name.
The first lady said she wanted her husband to be succeeded by “somebody who knows this job and takes it seriously” and that could only be Hillary Clinton.
Because of the Democrats’ candidate, Michelle Obama said, “my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”
In other remarks, Michelle Obama praised Hillary Clinton as a “true public servant” who had shown “devotion to our nation’s children” and “never buckles under pressure”.
After the first lady’s speech, President Barack Obama tweeted: “Incredible speech by an incredible woman. Couldn’t be more proud & our country has been blessed to have her as FLOTUS [first lady]. I love you, Michelle.”
Donald Trump, who has criticized his rivals, both Republican and Democrat, in sometimes colorful language on Twitter, said Bernie Sanders had “sold out” to Hillary Clinton.
The Republican billionaire also condemned other speakers at the Democratic convention including senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, but made no mention of Michelle Obama.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has said that Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States, in a speech at the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia.
Bernie Sanders received a three-minute standing ovation when he took the stage.
First Lady Michelle Obama also received a rapturous reception for a powerful speech in which she took on Republican nominee Donald Trump.
“Don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that somehow we need to make it great again,” Michelle Obama said, referring to Donald Trump’s signature slogan “Make America Great Again”.
“Because this, right now, is the greatest country on earth,” the First Lady added.
Earlier in the evening, Bernie Sanders’ fans had booed any mention of Hillary Clinton, who will accept the party’s presidential nomination on July 28.
And as he urged Democrats to back Hillary Clinton, his former rival, in the final major speech of the night, they held aloft their blue “Bernie” signs and chanted his name.
Some supporters broke into tears while others wore duct tape emblazoned with the words “silenced” over their mouths.
Photo Getty Images
Bernie Sanders continued: “While Donald Trump is busy insulting one group after another, Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
“If you don’t believe this election is important, if you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country.”
Members of the audience had earlier disrupted the event’s opening prayer, chanting “Bernie!” while also jeering as Democratic National Committee chair Marcia Fudge delivered remarks.
The commotion prompted Bernie Sanders to send an email saying the credibility of the progressive movement would be damaged by “booing, turning of backs, walking out or other similar displays” of protests.
Revelations from an email leak which showed DNC officials allegedly plotted against Bernie Sanders’ primary campaign threatened to overshadow the event as it fuelled the anger of his voters.
WikiLeaks released emails that revealed the DNC was biased against Bernie Sanders when he ran against Hillary Clinton in the hard-fought primary contest.
The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating the leak.
Democratic chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned on July 24 as pressure built on the party to address the scandal.
Democratic party bosses later issued an apology to Bernie Sanders for “inexcusable” emails which tried to undermine his White House campaign.
However, Bernie Sanders refused to let the email scandal eclipse his message to his supporters.
“Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her here tonight,” said the Vermont senator before leaving the stage.
About 5,000 party delegates are among the 50,000 people expected to attend the four-day Democratic convention, which will end on July 28 with Hillary Clinton formally accepting the nomination for president.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz has announced she will resign as a row over leaked emails threatens efforts for party unity ahead of the presidential nominating convention.
Her move follows a leak of emails appearing to suggest that party insiders tried to thwart the campaign by Hillary Clinton’s rival.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had pressed for the party chairwoman to step down.
Photo Facebook
Hillary Clinton is to be officially nominated at the Philadelphia meeting.
Bernie Sanders had said Debbie Wasserman Schultz “should not be chair” of the Democratic National Committee.
He told ABC’s This Week: “And I think these emails reiterate that reason why she should not be chair.”
In a statement, Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she would “step down as party chair at the end of this convention.”
“We have planned a great and unified convention this week and I hope and expect that the DNC team that has worked so hard to get us to this point will have the strong support of all Democrats in making sure this is the best convention we have ever had,” she said.
Bernie Sanders and his supporters have also expressed disappointment at Hillary Clinton’s choice of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate, preferring someone further to the left.
However, the Vermont senator did say: “I have known Tim Kaine for a number of years… Tim is a very, very smart guy. He is a very nice guy.”
Hillary Clinton’s campaign received a boost on July 24 with the announcement that Michael Bloomberg, who was elected New York mayor as a Republican, will speak to endorse her this week.
The Democrats’ four-day convention starts on July 25, with speeches by First Lady Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders.
The Democratic convention comes just after the Republican convention that saw Donald Trump declared the Republican presidential nominee.
Bernie Sanders has announced he will vote for his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in November’s presidential election.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have fought for the Democratic nomination, which the former secretary of state won this month.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist, told MSNBC he would do everything in his power to defeat the likely Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
However, he stopped short of saying he would end his campaign.
Bernie Sanders said his job now was to “fight for the strongest possible platform” at the party’s convention in July, including a higher minimum wage.
However, he dismissed the idea that he should withdraw from the race.
“Why would I want to do that when I want to fight to make sure that we have the best platform that we possibly can, that we win the most delegates that we can,” Bernie Sanders said.
Although Hillary Clinton has won enough of the all-important delegates to secure the nomination, she will not be declared the official nominee until July’s convention.
The Vermont senator has failed to give Hillary Clinton a full endorsement.
Last week Bernie Sanders vowed to work with Hillary Clinton to prevent Donald Trump from winning the White House and promised to continue his fight to “transform” the Democratic party.
When asked if his decision to remain in the race hindered Hillary Clinton’s chances in the general election, Bernie Sanders said: “You talk about disunity, I talk about people in the political process and wanting to have a government and party that represents all of us.”
Hillary Clinton met her defeated rival Bernie Sanders after winning the final primary in Washington DC.
In statements, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate and her rival said they had discussed the campaign, unifying the party and the “dangerous threat” posed by Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Bernie Sanders vowed to do all he could to prevent Donald Trump from being elected, but has not endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Photo USA Today
Hillary Clinton got nearly 80% of the vote in June 14 Washington DC primary.
During their meeting, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders discussed common goals, including raising wages for working families and reducing the cost of university education.
The Vermont senator had earlier said the meeting would enable him to determine Hillary Clinton’s commitment to the issues he has campaigned on.
Bernie Sanders – who won primaries in 22 states – has said he will urge the party to be more inclusive of young people and working-class voters at the Democratic convention in July.
Last week, Bernie Sanders met President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden, who both later endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Bernie Sanders has announced he will meet Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton “soon” but has not endorsed her.
After speaking with President Barack Obama, the Vermont senator said he and Hillary Clinton would be meeting to discuss their common goal of defeating Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump.
Bernie Sanders virtually has no path left to the Democratic nomination but has not formally dropped out.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has captured enough delegates to become the nominee.
Speaking outside the White House after his meeting with President Obama, Bernie Sanders detailed a list of issues he plans to bring to the Democratic convention in July.
Bernie Sanders said the United States, as the wealthiest nation in the world, should not have students in huge amounts of debt and seniors and veterans without adequate social security benefits.
Before his talks with Bernie Sanders, President Obama said he hoped the Democrats would “pull things together” after Hillary Clinton became the party’s presumptive nominee for president.
Photo Getty Images
Bernie Sanders has said he will participate in the District of Columbia primary on June 14, despite pressure to step down from party figures.
Barack Obama stopped short of calling for Bernie Sanders to drop out, instead saying the Vermont senator had made Hillary Clinton a “better candidate”.
The president has officially endorsed Hillary Clinton and called for the party to unite against Donald Trump.
Speaking on NBC’s Tonight Show, Barack Obama admitted the race had been “ouchy”.
However, the president went on to say that this was welcome.
“It was a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to have a contested primary,” he said.
“I thought that Bernie Sanders brought enormous energy and new ideas. And he pushed the party and challenged them. I thought it made Hillary a better candidate.”
Barack Obama added: “My hope is, that over the next couple of weeks, we’re able to pull things together.”
Hillary Clinton won four out of six primaries on June 7.
Hillary Trump has pitched to Bernie Sanders’ supporters: “Bernie Sanders must really dislike Crooked Hillary after the way she played him. Many of his supporters, because of trade, will come to me.”
However, Bernie Sanders said his campaign would not support Donald Trump, “a candidate whose major theme is bigotry”.
During his interview, Barack Obama said he was “worried” for the Republicans, saying the US needed a “healthy two-party system”.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has thanked her supporters for helping her reach a historic moment for women – the nomination for president.
“Tonight’s victory belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed to make this moment possible,” Hillary Clinton told cheering crowds at a rally in New York.
“Thanks to you, we’ve reached a milestone.”
The former secretary of state hailed “the first time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party’s nominee”.
Earlier, Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary in New Jersey, cementing her hold on her party’s nomination.
Hillary Clinton went on to win South Dakota and New Mexico, while her rival Bernie Sanders found victory in the Montana and North Dakota caucuses.
Six states have been voting in primaries on June 7 but the race in California will count the most.
Bernie Sanders had been hoping for a win in that state but early results indicated a significant lead for Hillary Clinton.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has reached the required number of delegates for her nomination, an AP tally suggests.
The count puts Hillary Clinton on 2,383 – the number needed to make her the presumptive nominee.
Hillary Clinton will become the first female nominee for a major US political party.
However, rival Bernie Sanders said Hillary Clinton had not won as she was dependent on superdelegates who could not vote until July’s party convention.
Hillary Clinton reached the threshold with a big win in Puerto Rico and a burst of last-minute support from superdelegates, AP reported.
Superdelegates are party insiders who can pledge their support for a candidate ahead of the convention but do not formally vote for them until the convention itself.
At an appearance in Long Beach, California, shortly after the news broke, Hillary Clinton said: “We are on the brink of a historic and unprecedented moment but we still have work to do.
“We have six elections tomorrow and we’re going to fight hard for every single vote, especially right here in California.”
Voters will go to the polls for Democratic primaries on June 7 in California, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and New Jersey.
The nominee for either party is not officially named until the parties’ respective conventions.
Bernie Sanders has vowed to stay in the race until the convention, and his campaign team said the Vermont senator would attempt to win back superdelegates who have pledged their support to Hillary Clinton.
His spokesman Michael Briggs said it was too early to call the Democratic contest.
“It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgement, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee’s clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer,” Michael Briggs said.
“Our job from now until the convention is to convince those superdelegates that Bernie is by far the strongest candidate against Donald Trump.”
Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, New York senator and First Lady, leads Bernie Sanders by three million votes, 291 pledged delegates and 523 superdelegates, according to AP’s count.
She has won 29 caucuses and primaries to his 21 victories – and an estimated 2.9 million more voters have backed her during the nominating process.
That gives Hillary Clinton a significantly greater lead over Bernie Sanders than Barack Obama had over her in 2008 – he led by 131 pledged delegates and 105 superdelegates at the point he clinched the nomination.
Donald Trump has reached the number of delegates needed to secure Republican presidential nomination.
On May 26, in North Dakota, Donald Trump thanked 15 unbound delegates from the state who he said “got us right over the top”.
Donald Trump defeated 16 other Republican contenders and according to the Associated Press has 1,238 delegates, one more than needed.
Republicans will finalize their nomination at a convention in July.
Photo Getty Images
While Donald Trump has the required amount of delegates, his nomination by a divided GOP is not yet secured.
Unbound delegates in the party are free to support the candidate of their choice.
If his nomination is confirmed, Donald Trump will face former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who are vying for the Democrat nomination.
On May 25, Donald Trump suggested going against Bernie Sanders in a TV debate in California before the state’s primary on June 7.
Bernie Sanders agreed to the debate in a tweet, saying: “Game on.”
On May 26, Donald Trump said: “The problem with debating Bernie? He’s going to lose.”
The New York billionaire also threw a barb in Hillary Clinton’s direction, saying: “Here I am watching Hillary fight and she can’t close the deal. That should be such an easy deal to close.”
Earlier, President Barack Obama said that world leaders “had good reason to be rattled” by Donald Trump, whose proposals he said were “either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude”.
In response to that, Donald Trump told reporters in North Dakota that rattling leaders of other countries was a “good thing”.
“[President Barack Obama] knows nothing about business,” Donald Trump said.
“Many of the countries in our beautiful world have been absolutely abusing us and taking advantage of us.
“We’re going to have great relationships with these countries but if they’re rattled in a friendly way that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”
Hillary Clinton has won the Kentucky primary while her opponent Senator Bernie Sanders won in Oregon.
The former secretary of state remains the front-runner in the Democratic race to secure the nomination in July, with a significant delegate lead.
However, Bernie Sanders again resisted pressure to drop out of the race, saying he was “in until the last ballot is cast”.
Hilalry Clinton only narrowly won Kentucky. With most of the votes counted she was less than 0.5% ahead.
Alison Lundergan Grimes, chairwoman of the Kentucky State Board of Elections, told CNN that unofficial results confirmed that Hillary Clinton would narrowly win the state’s primary contest.
Shortly afterwards, Hillary Clinton tweeted: “We just won Kentucky! Thanks to everyone who turned out. We’re always stronger united.”
In the Republican race, Donald Trump won the party’s only contest on May 17 in Oregon, which was no surprise as he was the only candidate left in the race.
The Kentucky Democratic primary will award 60 delegates to go to the party’s convention in Philadelphia while Oregon’s primary will award 74.
Pressure is rising on Bernie Sanders, a senator from Vermont who has historically been an independent, not a Democrat, to drop out of the race.
However, he said he still has a path to the Democratic nomination.
Speaking at the California rally, Bernie Sanders recognized his campaign’s “steep hill to climb” but called for his supporters to remain hopeful and “take our fight into the convention” in July.
Senior party figures are pressing Bernie Sanders to do more to bring his supporters into line, after some of them disrupted a state convention in Nevada last weekend.
Majority leader Harry Reid said the Vermont senator faced a “test of leadership”.
Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz described Bernie Sanders’ response to the violence as “anything but acceptable”.
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has won the Wyoming primaries after beating rival Hillary Clinton.
The state’s 14 delegates will be awarded proportionally. Bernie Sanders has won seven of the latest eight states.
However, Hillary Clinton maintains a clear lead in the overall race. Both are concentrating their efforts on the key New York primary later this month.
In the Republican race, Ted Cruz hopes to pick up more delegates in Colorado.
In state assemblies which culminated on April 8, Ted Cruz won 21 delegates to just two for Donald Trump, who still has a comfortable lead in the overall nomination race for the Republicans.
On April, a further 13 delegates are at stake at the Colorado Republican Convention.
Ted Cruz has 520 Republican delegates to 743 for Donald Trump. Ted Cruz is hoping to win at least enough votes to block an outright win for Donald Trump and force a decision at the party’s convention in July.
The next big prize for both parties is the New York primaries on April 19: 291 delegates are at stake for the Democrats and 95 for Republicans.
Despite April 9 win in the Wyoming caucuses, Bernie Sanders still has only 1,061 delegates to 1,749 for Hillary Clinton, when the latter’s 469 superdelegates are added to the tally. To win, a candidate needs 2,383.
The presidential election itself, on November 8, will see America vote for a successor to Barack Obama, a Democratic president standing down after two terms in office which have seen the Republicans take control of both houses of Congress.
Bernie Sanders has been invited to the Vatican by Pope Francis, his campaign announced.
The Vermont senator and Democratic presidential hopeful, who is Jewish, accepted an invitation to Rome for a conference at the end of next week.
Bernie Sanders’ visit to the Vatican is four days before the primary contest in New York, a competitive battle between him and front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Photo Getty Images
The Democratic presidential hopeful said he was not sure whether he would meet Pope Francis but he was a big fan of the pontiff.
Bernie Sanders said they share the same views on inequality: “He’s trying to inject this sense of morality into how we do economics… and we need that absolutely desperately.”
He will attend a conference on social, economic and environmental issues and give a speech on April 15, his campaign said.
Bernie Sanders and Pope Francis have similar views on fighting income inequality and he was “very moved” by the invitation from the Vatican.
He said he and the pope disagree on women’s rights and gay rights, but Pope Francis has “injected a moral consequence into the economy”.
Bernie Sanders is trailing Hillary Clinton but gaining momentum after a string of wins, most recently in the Wisconsin primary.
In the last few days, a mostly civil fight between the two became more personal as Bernie Sanders accused Hillary Clinton of not being “qualified” to be president.
Pope Francis said on April 8 that the Catholic Church should be less strict and show more compassion to “imperfect” Catholics.
The pontiff called on the Church to be welcoming to gay Catholics but did not change the Church’s views on LGBT families and marriage.
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton has dismissed as “ridiculous” a charge by rival Bernie Sanders that she is “unqualified” to be president.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders stood by his comments, pointing to Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street links and her vote for the war in Iraq.
Bernie Sanders said Hillary Clinton started the latest war of words by attacking him first.
The two candidates will do battle in a New York showdown in two weeks, a state where both have strong links.
Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton in the Wisconsin primary contest on April 5, and could pick up more delegates in Wyoming on April 9 before the greater prize of New York is up for grabs.
The latest row began on April 6 when Hillary Clinton was asked if Bernie Sanders was qualified to be president, after he gave a newspaper interview in which he appeared to struggle to answer some questions.
“I think he hadn’t done his homework and he’d been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hasn’t really studied or understood, and that does raise a lot of questions,” Hillary Clinton told MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
On the same day, Bernie Sanders told a crowd of supporters at Temple University that Hillary Clinton had accused him of being unqualified.
“Well let me, let me just say in response to Secretary Clinton, I don’t believe that she is qualified if she is, through her super PAC [fundraising committee], taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest funds,” the Vermont senator said.
“I don’t think you are qualified if you get $15 million from Wall Street through your super PAC.”
Bernie Sanders went on to list her backing of the Iraq War and her support of trade agreements as other disqualifications. On April 7, he repeated his comments.
The Clinton campaign hit back, with spokesman Brian Fallon tweeting: “Hillary Clinton did not say Bernie Sanders was <<not qualified>>. But he has now, absurdly, said it about her. This is a new low.”
One of Hillary Clinton’s senior aides, Christina Reynolds, said it was “a ridiculous and irresponsible attack for someone to make” against one of the most qualified candidates ever to run.
On the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton told Politico she explains things in a way more “open and truthful than my opponent,” and said she explains what she would do as president rather than “lots of arm-waving and hot rhetoric”.
Ted Cruz has won the Wisconsin primary for the Republican presidential nomination.
In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders scored a strong victory over Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin.
Donald Trump is still the frontrunner in the Republican field, but could fall short of the number of delegates needed to secure the party’s nomination.
His rivals have pinned their hopes on a contested convention.
At a contested convention, GOP leaders, not voters, would choose the nominee.
Donald Trump said on April 5 he would prevail despite the loss and took aim at his rival.
Photo Getty Images
“Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet – he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.
GOP leaders are concerned that Donald Trump would be a weak candidate in the general election and could harm other Republicans lawmakers on the ballot.
Polls show that the real estate tycoon is extremely unpopular among key voting blocs including women, Latinos and young people.
On the Democratic side, Wisconsin adds to a recent spate of wins by Bernie Sanders campaign, giving the Vermont senator a boost before key races in New York and Pennsylvania.
Bernie Sanders won nearly every county in the state except Milwaukee, but as delegates are awarded proportionally he will not gain a significant advantage over Hillary Clinton.
Of the 86 Wisconsin delegates, Bernie Sanders is on course for at least 44, but Hillary Clinton will have at least 28.
Addressing supporters in Wyoming, which holds its primary on April 9, Bernie Sanders stressed momentum was on his side and that his outsider candidacy could change the status quo.
“Real change never takes place from the top down; it always takes place from the bottom up,” he told supporters.
Hillary Clinton still holds a sizeable lead and most analysts say she will eventually become the Democratic nominee despite her recent losses.
While Tuesday’s loss was a setback for Donald Trump, his campaign has time to rebound
The campaign now moves to large north-eastern states, where polls show Donald Trump holds significant leads.
Donald Trump’s loss in Wisconsin comes after a rocky week for the campaign, particularly with female voters.
He repeatedly struggled to articulate his position on abortion. At one point, he called for women to be punished for having abortions, then quickly changed his mind.
Meanwhile, outside groups opposed to Donald Trump’s nomination stepped up their efforts in Wisconsin, running negative television adverts.
Popular state leaders such as Governor Scott Walker and influential talk radio program hosts also opposed the Trump campaign and threw their support behind Ted Cruz.
Bernie Sanders has won Alaska and Washington in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, as he tries to close the gap on Hillary Clinton.
He was projected to have won 72% of the vote in Washington against 27% for Hillary Clinton.
In Alaska, Bernie Sanders took about 79% of the votes, against 21% for Hillary Clinton.
Results are yet to emerge from Hawaii but initial projections suggest another Bernie Sanders victory.
Washington was the most significant of the three states voting on March 26, with 101 delegates up for grabs. There were 16 delegates on offer in Alaska and 25 in Hawaii.
In spite of his victories, Bernie Sanders faces a struggle to overhaul Hillary Clinton’s overall lead. Going into Saturday’s votes, Hillary Clinton led Bernie Sanders by 1,223 delegates to 920.
When superdelegates who have so far declared their allegiance are included, Hillary Clinton was ahead by 1,692 to 949.
It takes 2,383 delegates to win.
Bernie Sanders tweeted: “Thank you, Alaska! Together we are sending a message that this government belongs to all of us… Washington, thank you for your huge support! It is hard for anybody to deny that our campaign has the momentum.”
The senator earlier told supporters in Wisconsin: “This is what momentum is about. Don’t let anybody tell you we can’t win the nomination or win the general election. We’re going to do both of those things.”
Bernie Sanders had spent the week on the west coast, rallying support among liberals and the left-wing.
He is trying to build on overwhelming victories in last Tuesday’s caucuses in Idaho and Utah.
However, he suffered defeat in Arizona, and although his delegate haul from the three states was 20 higher than Hillary Clinton, he failed to make major inroads into her lead.
Hillary Clinton has pointed out that she has “2.6 million more votes” than Bernie Sanders.
She campaigned less in the three states that voted on March 26, perhaps expecting the defeats, and spent Easter with her family.
This week Hillary Clinton focused on the deadly attacks in Brussels, condemning Republican rivals Donald Trump and Ted Cruz for their “reckless” foreign policies.
Despite March 26 results, the battle will be won and lost in far bigger states still to come. In RealClearPolitics poll averages, Hillary Clinton has the lead over Bernie Sanders by nine percentage points in California, 34 points in New York and 28 in Pennsylvania.
Calculations suggest Bernie Sanders may need to win two-thirds of the remaining delegates – in primaries, caucuses and among so-far uncommitted super-delegates – the unelected officials who can vote for their candidate of choice at the party’s election convention.
There was no voting in the Republican race on March 26.
Donald Trump leads Ted Cruz by 739 delegates to 465, with a total of 1,237 needed to win the Republican nomination, according to AP.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have clashed over immigration and other issues during the Democratic debate in Florida.
The Miami event took place just days before the next round of primaries, including Florida.
With 246 delegates at stake, the southern state is the biggest prize.
Bernie Sanders had a surprise victory in Michigan on March 8, but Hillary Clinton increased her overall lead with a big win in Mississippi.
In the Republican race on the same day, Donald Trump won three more states (Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii) in his bid to win the Republican nomination. Rival Ted Cruz won a Republican-only race in Idaho.
Photo Getty Images
The states were the latest to choose candidates to compete in November’s presidential election.
During the Miami debate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for voting against an immigration reform back in 2007.
“Just think, imagine where we would be today if we had achieved comprehensive immigration reform nine years ago,” she said.
Bernie Sanders responded by saying he had concerns about the treatment of guest workers. The proposed program was “akin to slavery”, he said.
The Vermont senator also said that Hilalry Clinton was against allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
Nearly two million Hispanics live in Florida, and their support will play a big role in the 15 March primary.
Florida is home to nearly 1.8 million Hispanics, including about 15% of the state’s Democrats.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also discussed job creation, education and climate change.
They both attacked Republican front-runner Donald Trump, with Hillary Clinton saying that his “trafficking in prejudice and paranoia has no place in our political system”.
Hillary Clinton said Donald Trump could not even decide “whether to disavow Ku Klux Klan”.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders said: “I think that the American people are never going to elect a president who insults Mexicans, who insults Muslims, who insults women, who insults African-Americans.”
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has won three more states – Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii – in his bid for the White House nomination.
In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders had a surprise victory in Michigan, but Hillary Clinton increased her overall lead with a big Mississippi win.
Republican Ted Cruz won in Idaho.
The states are the latest to choose candidates to compete in November’s presidential election.
Photo AP
It was a terrible night for Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who came in a distant fourth in both Michigan and Mississippi, a week before his must-win contest in his home state.
Donald Trump, a businessman with no experience of elected office, leads the polls in Florida, from where he delivered his victory speech on March 8.
“One of the things I am most happy about is the turnout has been just massive… I think it’s the single biggest story in politics today,” the billionair said at a press conference in Jupiter.
Donald Trump also said he would be more presidential than anybody except Abraham Lincoln and that “no one is more conservative than me”.
The Democratic opponent Donald Trump is most likely to face if he gets the Republican nomination, Hillary Clinton, addressed voters in Ohio after her Mississippi win.
“Running for president shouldn’t be about delivering insults,” said Hillary Clinton, in a thinly veiled dig at the outspoken Donald Trump.
“It should be about delivering results.”
Bernie Sanders’ win in Michigan came as a shock after weeks of polling that suggested Hillary Clinton was well ahead.
“I am grateful to the people of Michigan for defying the pundits and pollsters and giving us their support,” Bernie Sanders said in a statement following his win.
“This is a critically important night. We came from 30 points down in Michigan and we’re seeing the same kind of come-from-behind momentum all across America.”
Analysts say conservative firebrand Ted Cruz appears to be the only candidate capable of stopping Donald Trump, who has been fiercely criticized by the Republican establishment.
The party’s 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, described Donald Trump as a bully and a fraud who would lose a general election because of his extreme positions on immigration and Islamic State.
A central plank of Donald Trump’s campaign is to deport 11 million undocumented migrants and build a wall on the southern border, paid for by Mexico.
The primary and caucus elections determine the number of delegates assigned to each of the candidates.
The delegates then endorse their candidate at the party conventions in July. To secure their party’s nomination, a candidate must win a majority of delegates.
Democrat Bernie Sanders has won the Maine caucuses, beating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Democratic nomination race.
With 91% of the vote counted, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is polling 64%, while former Hillary Clinton has 36%.
In the Republican race, Marco Rubio easily won Puerto Rico’s primary, beating Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump remain overall leaders in the nomination campaigns.
On March 6, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clash on a number of issues in a CNN-hosted debate in Flint, Michigan.
They traded accusations on economy and trade, with Hillary Clinton saying her rival voted against a bailout of the US car industry in 2009.
Photo Getty Images
“I went with them. You did not. If everybody had voted the way he [Bernie Sanders] did, I believe the auto industry would have collapsed, taking four million jobs with it,” Hillary Clinton said.
Bernie Sanders countered by saying: “I will be damned if it was the working people of this country who have to bail out the crooks on Wall Street.”
He described the measures taken at the time as “the Wall Street bailout where some of your [Hillary Clinton’s] friends destroyed this economy”.
During March 5 voting, Bernie Sanders took two states – Kansas and Nebraska – but Hillary Clinton maintained her Democratic front-runner status after a big victory in Louisiana.
While the win in Puerto Rico will boost Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s campaign, it sends just 23 delegates to the Republican convention which nominates a presidential candidate.
Republican hopefuls need the votes of 1,237 delegates to get the nod for the presidential race proper.
Marco Rubio still trails well behind Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Speaking after wins in the Republican Kentucky caucuses and Louisiana primary election on Saturday, Donald Trump told a news conference: “I would love to take on Ted Cruz one on one.”
“Marco Rubio had a very very bad night and personally I call for him to drop out of the race. I think it’s time now that he dropped out of the race. I really think so.”
Ted Cruz – who won Republican caucuses in Kansas and Maine – said he believed that “as long as the field remains divided, it gives Donald an advantage”.
Hillary Clinton has won the South Carolina primary, the latest battleground in the race to be Democratic presidential nominee.
Her victory was widely expected but it gives her momentum ahead of the “Super Tuesday” primaries in 11 states next week.
“Tomorrow this campaign goes national,” Hillary Clinton told cheering supporters.
Rival Bernie Sanders has congratulated Hillary Clinton but said the campaign was just beginning.
With almost all the votes counted Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by an almost 50-point margin.
Eight out of 10 black voters backed Hillary Clinton, exit polls suggested, a key section of the Democratic electorate.
It is Hillary Clinton’s third victory in four contests, after wins in Iowa and Nevada. She lost to Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire.
Eight years ago, Hillary Clinton lost the South Carolina primary overwhelmingly to then Senator Barack Obama.
It was a different story this time. Soon after polls closed Hillary Clinton told supporters: “You sent a message – in America when we stand together, there is no barrier too big to break.”
On the Republican side, Donald Trump leads a field that has dwindled to five from 12 a month ago.
Donald Trump won the Nevada caucus on February 24 by a wide margin – correspondents say he is beginning to look unstoppable.
In her victory speech, Hillary Clinton aimed a dig at the man tipped to be the Republican presidential candidate.
“Despite what you hear, we don’t need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great,” Hillary Clinton said, referencing Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.
Donald Trump’s closest challengers in the Republican field, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, sought to put him under pressure by releasing several years of their tax returns.
The billionaire says he will not release his until an audit has been completed; his rivals accuse him of holding back the information to hide exaggerations about his wealth.
Bernie Sanders, a veteran senator from Vermont, said he was now focusing on the Super Tuesday vote.
“In politics, on a given night, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Tonight we lost,” he told reporters in Minnesota, one of the states taking part.
“I congratulate Secretary Clinton on her very strong victory. Tuesday, over 800 delegates are at stake, and we intend to win many of them.”
There was some welcome news for Bernie Sanders after he was endorsed by Robert Reich, a former official in Bill Clinton’s presidential administration.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashed over support for President Barack Obama in their first debate since the New Hampshire primary.
The former secretary of state sought to cast herself as the protector of Barack Obama’s legacy, sharply attacking Senator Bernie Sanders for criticizing the president.
“The kind of criticism I hear from Senator Sanders, I expect from Republicans,” Hillary Clinton said.
Nevada and South Carolina, states with large minority populations, vote next.
At the PBS NewsHour televised debate, Hillary Clinton repeatedly emphasized her ties to Barack Obama who is extremely popular among minority voters.
Meanwhile, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders took pains to tailor to his message of economic fairness to address disparities in black communities.
Hillary Clinton also stressed her pragmatism, questioning Bernie Sanders’ pledges to provide universal healthcare and free higher education.
“We have a special obligation to make clear what we stand for which is why we can’t make promises we can’t keep,” Hillary Clinton said.
Immigration reform was also a major topic of discussion. Both Democratic candidates supported creating a path to citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US and they decried a recent uptick in deportations by the Obama administration.
Criticizing the anti-immigrant positions of Republican front-runner Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders said immigrants should not be scapegoats for economic uncertainty.
“We have got to stand up to the Trumps of the world, who are trying to divide us,” the senator said.
Hillary Clinton is trying to rebuild her campaign after Bernie Sanders decisively won the New Hampshire primary.
She received a much-needed endorsement from an influential bloc of black Democrats in Congress on February 11.
Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary by 22 percentage points and lost the Iowa caucuses narrowly, but both states have nearly all-white populations.
He now faces the challenge of finding votes among the sizable Latino and black electorates in Nevada and South Carolina.
Hillary Clinton has strong support among Latinos and African-Americans and is expected to do well in the two states.
A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll in South Carolina gave Hillary Clinton a lead of 74 over Bernie Sanders’ 17% among black voters.
On February 11, the political action committee of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton as their Democratic presidential candidate, giving an added boost to her campaign.
“We must have a president that understands the racial divide, not someone who just acquired the knowledge recently but someone…who has lived it and worked through it down through the years,” CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield told reporters on February 11.
Recognizing the need to do more to court the black vote, Bernie Sanders met civil rights leader the Reverend Al Sharpton in New York on February 10.
However, Al Sharpton declined to say which candidate he would back after the meeting.
It is still unclear who the winner of the Democratic contest will face in the Republican race, with Donald Trump, John Kasich and Ted Cruz finishing first, second and third in the New Hampshire primary.
Both Republican and Democratic parties will formally name their presidential candidates at conventions in July.
Americans will finally go to the polls to choose the new occupant of the White House in November.
Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have won the presidential race in the New Hampshire primary.
Republican Donald Trump is likely to get more than twice the number of votes of the next Republican candidate.
Democrat Bernie Sanders, who beat rival Hillary Clinton by a huge margin, said his victory showed people wanted “real change”.
Both candidates are riding on a wave of discontent with mainstream politics.
Ohio Governor John Kasich came second in the Republican vote, with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio all vying for third place.
New Hampshire is the second state to choose delegates in the long nomination battle following last week’s Iowa caucuses, which were won by Ted Cruz for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats.
The result gives momentum to the winners ahead of the next contests in South Carolina and Nevada.
Donald Trump’s lead in New Hampshire is the first time the New York billionaire – who has never held elected office – has translated his widespread support in opinion polls into a victory at the polls.
In his victory speech, Donald Trump congratulated Democratic winner Bernie Sanders but sideswiped that “he wants to give away our country, folks!”.
Donald Trump, 69, has pledged to deport millions of migrants who are living in the US illegally; build a wall along the border with Mexico; and impose a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the country.
With close to 90% of the votes counted, Senator Bernie Sanders has a lead of more than 20 percentage points over Hilton Clinton in the two-horse race for the Democratic nomination. He had topped polls in New Hampshire in recent months, but it is still a significant victory for the self-described Democratic socialist candidate.
“What the people here have said is that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics and establishment economics,” Bernie Sanders said in speech to his supporters late on February 9.
Bernie Sanders, 74, has vowed to eradicate income inequality, provide free university education and break up big banks.
Hillary Clinton congratulated Bernie Sanders, but said in a speech she would continue to fight for every vote in the campaign. Despite the setback, she still remains the frontrunner for the nomination.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook, said in a memo that they expected the race for the Democratic nomination “very likely” to be decided in March.
The former secretary of state acknowledged before the polls that Bernie Sanders had a natural advantage in New Hampshire because he represents the neighboring state of Vermont as senator.
Hillary Clinton, who has more support from the Democratic establishment, narrowly won in Iowa.
Most polls in New Hampshire closed at 19:00 local time, with state officials forecasting a historic turnout in the vote.
They are the first contests in the US presidential race in which states decide who becomes each party’s official candidate.
The first one-to-one Democratic debate saw Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashing over Wall Street and foreign policy.
Hillary Clinton cast Bernie Sanders as an idealist who will not get things done and Sanders accused the former Secretary of State of being too tied to the establishment to achieve real change.
The MSNBC debate in New Hampshire was their first since the Democratic race was whittled down to two this week.
Without a third person on stage, the policy differences were laid bare.
Hillary Clinton said Bernie Sanders’ proposals such as universal healthcare were too costly and unachievable.
She went after her rival aggressively over his attempts to portray her as being in the pocket of Wall Street because of the campaign donations and the fees she had received for after-dinner speeches.
Photo Reuters
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders used a favorite attack line against Hillary Clinton that she backed the Iraq War, but she questioned his foreign policy expertise.
The debate comes five days before the second state-by-state contest in the battle for the presidential nominee, in New Hampshire on February 9.
Despite the tensions over policies, the debate ended on a warm note, when Hillary Clinton said the first person she would call would be Bernie Sanders, if she won the nomination.
The debate was their first without the presence of the former governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley, who quit the race on February 1.
Martin O’Malley was a distant third in the first state to vote, Iowa, where Hillary Clinton narrowly beat Bernie Sanders after a prolonged count.
Bernie Sanders holds a big lead in polls in New Hampshire, which borders the state where he is a senator, Vermont.
Both Republican and Democratic parties will formally name their presidential candidates at conventions in July.
Americans will finally go to the polls to choose the new occupant of the White House in November.
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