A day before the California primary, Bernie Sanders said that he hopes to convince as many superdelegates as possible to switch their support to his campaign by pulling off the win Tuesday night.
“Our goal is to get the most delegates we possibly can and make a strong case to the superdelegates that we can bring out a larger voter turnout in November,” Sanders said during a Monday morning press conference in Oakland, Calif.
While he said that he is optimistic about California polling, the Vermont senator refused to say what he would do if he lost the race, stating, “Let’s assess where we are tomorrow before we make speculation.”
Following the Virgin Islands Democratic caucus on Sunday, Hillary Clinton is only 23 delegates away from securing the party nomination. In contrast, Sanders would have to win 98 percent of the remaining delegates, including superdelegates. Sanders told reporters that his campaign is in close conversations with superdelegates, and so far they have convinced “three or four” delegates to leave Clinton’s campaign and join theirs.
No matter what the results in California, Sanders said his campaign would fly to Burlington, Vt., following Tuesday’s results to plot next steps. He also pledged to campaign in Washington, D.C., before the state’s June 14 vote, the final contest in the primary season.
