Hillary Clinton won the Illinois Democratic primary, edging out Bernie Sanders in a state where his campaign hoped pull out a win in on Tuesday, adding to her growing delegate count.
Going into the Illinois primary, Clinton led Sanders by a small margin, 48.3-46.0 percent, according to RealClearPolitics average of polls in the state. With 156 delegates up for grabs, the democratic socialist candidate has made a point of distancing himself from Chicago’s and unpopular mayor in an attempt to win over parts of the state’s large African American population.
“I want to thank Rahm Emanuel for not endorsing me. I don’t want his endorsement,” Sanders said during a Chicago rally on Sunday, later adding that he would also refuse the Democratic mayor’s endorsement if he were to make it to the general election.
Most notably, the mayor has been widely criticized for his role in the Laquan McDonald police shooting, after which many politicians including Sanders, called for Emanuel’s resignation. Few political figures are closer to the Clintons than Emanuel, but ultimately it didn’t prevent a win in the state.
After his surprise win in Michigan, Sanders looked to pull off a similar feat in Illinois, as the demographics of the state are relatively similar. During multiple rallies and campaign events the Vermont senator encouraged voted that if there was a high turnout at the polls, they would win the state.
Prior to the Michigan primary, the Clinton campaign hadn’t spent much time or resources on the Illinois primary. A native of Chicago, the former secretary of state focused more on key general election swing states that also hold primaries Tuesday, such as Chicago and Florida. But during a pit stop on Monday at the Chicago Plumbers Union hall Clinton told voters “do not rest” and to “please do everything you can in the next 24 hours plus.”
It paid off.
