Hillary Clinton won the South Dakota Democratic primary Tuesday, padding her pledged delegate lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders on the night she assumed the mantle of the party’s presumptive nominee.
While the Associated Press called the race in her favor Monday evening, Clinton avoided taking a victory lap until Democrats had a chance to vote in the six states that held their nominating contests Tuesday.
The support of hundreds of superdelegates put her over the edge of the 2,383 delegate threshold needed to clinch the nomination, sparking outrage among Sanders supporters who argued the timing of the AP’s announcement unfairly implied the race was over before millions of voters had the chance to weigh in.
There were 20 pledged delegates up for grabs in South Dakota.
Sanders has vowed to continue his campaign despite mounting pressure from within his party to exit the race now that Clinton has effectively clinched the nomination.
He has said he will attempt to persuade superdelegates, who can shift their support up until the Democratic convention, to align with his campaign instead.
