Former New York senator Hillary Clinton has won that state’s Democratic primary, according to network news projections.
New York, with 291 delegates, was seen as one of the last places for Sanders to significantly cut into Clinton’s delegate lead. Before voting began she had 1,758 of the 2,383 delegates she needs to win the nomination, and her margin of victory in New York could give her a nearly unstoppable lead.
Both campaigns campaigned fiercely in the state, laying into each other at a debate in Brooklyn. But Clinton maintained a steady lead in the state she’s called home since leaving the White House as first lady in 2000, in part by appealing to older and minority voters. She has won two statewide elections to the US Senate.
The Brooklyn-born Sanders drew support from New York’s the Working Families Party—a left-wing group backed by labor unions and grassroots community organizers, and followed the playbook of Zephyr Teachout, a progressive former Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
He also performed well in less populous upstate districts, which are closer to his home state of Vermont.
Voting was marred by irregularities in New York City, where 125,000 people were reportedly missing from the voter rolls. The city’s comptroller, Scott Stringer, ordered an audit of the city elections board, citing problems with ballot scanners and polling places.