Hillary Clinton Wins Massachusetts' Democratic Primary

Hillary Clinton clinched a win in Massachusetts' Democratic primary, defeating Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in one of Super Tuesday's most competitive matchups.

Polls taken before the vote had shown the former secretary of state only narrowly ahead, and both campaigns staged last-minute rallies in the state on Monday.

With its liberal, largely white electorate, Massachusetts was one of Sanders' best opportunities to pick up delegates on Super Tuesday.

"Massachusetts should be among the best states for Sanders, apart from his home state of Vermont, where polls show him winning by a huge margin," pollsters Steve Koczela and Rich Parr wrote last week. "In terms of demographics and ideology, Massachusetts resembles Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states where Sanders has done best so far. So, if Massachusetts is an uphill battle for Bernie and his supporters, the other states voting next Tuesday are likely to be sheer cliffs."

While Clinton outspent Sanders overall on Super Tuesday advertising, the Vermont senator doubled down on Massachusetts, spending $1.35 million to her $547,000, according to Politico.

But the state also has a history as a Clinton stronghold. It's where she attended college, and where, in 2008, she won the primary by more than 15 points over Barack Obama. She was backed overwhelmingly by the state's political establishment, winning the endorsement of all its congressional representatives except for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), who has so far remained neutral.

Of the 116 Democratic delegates up for grabs in Massachusetts, just 59 will be awarded in proportion to the candidates' primary performance across the state's nine congressional districts. The remainder include 20 at-large delegates and 12 party leaders and elected officials -- who will all be chosen in May -- and 25 so-called superdelegates.

 

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