Clinton Wins by Landslide in S. Carolina, Becomes Democratic U.S. Presidential Front Runner
Washingon, 21 Jumaal Awwal 1437/29 February 2016 (MINA) – Hillary Clinton won a landslide victory in South Carolina on Saturday, emerging as the clear front runner over Senator Bernie Sanders in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Clinton defeated self-described democratic socialist Sanders by 74 percent to 26 percent, dominating the minority vote as she is expected to do again on Tuesday when Democrats vote in 11 more states, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting KUNA.
“Tomorrow, this campaign goes national,” Clinton said during her victory speech on Saturday night.
“We are going to compete for every vote in every state. We are not taking anything and we are not taking anyone for granted.” She delivered a jab to Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump and his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
“Despite what you hear, we do not need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great,” she said. “But we do need to make America whole again. Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers.”
African-American voters make up more than half of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina, and former secretary of State Clinton won by particularly wide margins among black voters and women, while Sanders more narrowly led among white voters and young people.
The victory was the second in a row for Clinton, who won the caucuses in Nevada last weekend. Before that, she narrowly won the Iowa caucuses and was trounced by Sanders in the New Hampshire primary.
“This campaign is just beginning,” Sanders said after congratulating Clinton on her win in South Carolina. “In just three days, Democrats in 11 states will pick 10 times more pledged delegates on one day than were selected in the four early states so far in this campaign.
Our grass-roots political revolution is growing state by state, and we won’t stop
Sanders has focused his campaign efforts on Super Tuesday states such as Minnesota, Massachusetts and his home state of Vermont.
Clinton has campaigned and advertised in Alabama, Texas and Virginia, which have more diverse electorates and fewer independent voters. (R07/R01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
