Clinton camp: Sanders has ‘difficult’ path

Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook is arguing that after Super Tuesday, it is becoming increasingly “difficult” for rival Bernie Sanders to win the Democratic nomination.

In a memo sent Wednesday to “interested parties,” Mook wrote that Clinton’s lead of more than 180 pledged delegates over Sanders is larger than any lead Barack Obama had in his 2008 primary battle with the former first lady.

{mosads}He said it would be very hard for the Vermont senator to close the gap, which only grows when superdelegates — lawmakers and other Democratic officeholders who pledge their support to a candidate — are included.

“All of this simply underscores that in order to catch up, Sen. Sanders doesn’t just have to start winning a few states, but he needs to start winning everywhere and by large margins,” Mook wrote. “This is why it is very difficult for him to close the large gap in delegates.”

Clinton won the states of Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, Massachusetts, Texas and Tennessee on Tuesday. While Sanders took four states — Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma and his home state — he also won fewer delegates than Clinton.

Counting superdelegates pledged to her campaign, Clinton has 1,052 delegates, according to The Associated Press, compared to 427 for Sanders. A Democrat needs 2,383 to clinch the nomination.

Sanders, speaking at a campaign event in Portland, Maine, on Wednesday, said he’d had a strong night on Super Tuesday.

“Last night, we had an extraordinary night. It was really something,” he said. 

“In Minnesota, we took on a Democratic governor and two U.S. senators, and we won there by 24 points, and we’re going to continue to do well in the Midwest,” he continued, referring to high-level endorsements for Clinton in the state. “In Colorado, I took on the establishment there, and we won by 19 points.” 

While Sanders has been able to secure wins, he has failed to prevail in delegate-rich states like Texas and isn’t winning by large margins, Mook argued.

In the memo, Mook also maintained that the Independent senator would have a difficult path in the weeks ahead because Clinton has been able to tap into minority voters for support.

He pointed to African-American voters in South Carolina and Super Tuesday states who voted for Clinton by “overwhelming margins.”

In Alabama, for example, the former secretary of State won black voters 93 percent to 5 percent. In Texas, she won Hispanic voters by 42 points. Mook wrote that she had won the battle for women in all of the contests together by 30 points.

“It is also important to note that these constituencies are not only critical to winning the Democratic nomination but will also be central to how a Democrat wins in November, and a candidate that starts with a deep base of support will have an advantage in the general election,” Mook wrote.

Clinton won the votes of 3.5 million Americans on Tuesday night, more votes than any other candidate from either party, he concluded.