The campaign manager for Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders said Saturday that the Vermont senator can win the Democratic nomination because he has more pledged delegates and superdelegates than the media reports.
Jeff Weaver said Sanders has 1,088 pledged delegates and 38 superdelegates who have announced their support. That’s higher than the 1,030 pledged delegates and 31 superdelegates reported by the Associated Press in its delegate tracker.
“Sen. Sanders won these recent contests by large and impressive margins,” Weaver said in a statement issued by the campaign Saturday. “As a result, we have cut Secretary Clinton’s delegate lead by 101 since March 15, which amounts to one-third of her then-total margin. That dramatic gain leaves us only 214 delegates behind — a margin we can and fully intend to surpass by the conclusion of voting on June 14.”
The campaign’s contention that Sanders’ support is stronger than reported is unlikely to change the broader narrative of the race. While Sanders might have cut into front-runner Hillary Clinton’s pledged delegate count, he still trails mightily among the superdelegates — 469 super delegates have said they’ll support Clinton at the convention.
Superdelegates are Democratic lawmakers and party officials who are able to support the candidate of their choosing. Pledged delegates represent the results of state primaries and caucuses.
Despite the math, Weaver says the campaign believes neither candidate is going to get to the convention with the 2,383 delegates needed to lock up the nomination.
“Democrats are going to have a clear choice at our convention and we intend to win,” Weaver said.
