Election 2016: Here's why Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders still need to win California

Califoian voters in today’s statewide primary election are poised to give Hillary Clinton a smooth ride to a historic Democratic presidential nomination or a rockier road in the form of a victory and continued hope for insurgent Vermont Sen. Beie Sanders.

Meanwhile, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump swept primaries across the nation and sought to unify the GOP in a victory speech. But he continued to face sharp criticism from GOP lawmakers even as he was poised to cruise to victory in Califoia.

Clinton, a former secretary of state, first lady and U.S. senator, became the first woman in American history to clinch a major political party’s nomination by securing the 2,383 required delegates, The Associated Press reported Monday.

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to fight for in Califoia, a state where presidential candidates typically go to raise money, not stump for votes. In a Tuesday statement, Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs chided the media for saying Clinton had wrapped up the nomination.

At the Trump National Golf Club at Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., Trump emerged to Queen’s hit song “We are the Champions” and promised the American people “I will never, never let you down.”

“We’re only getting started, and it’s going to be beautiful,” he said in calling for the GOP to unite. “Tonight we close one chapter in history and begin another.”

He also tore into Clinton, describing her as a corrupt politician who made “hundreds of millions of dollars” through a rigged system she supports and promoting a speech on Clinton he plans to give next week..

The Clintons, Trump said, “have tued the politics of personal enrichment into an art form.” Hillary Clinton, he said, tued the State Department “into a private hedge fund” and used an “illegal” private email server to shroud her “corrupt dealings” in secrecy.

Inviting Sanders supporters to join him, he said: “We can’t fixed the rigged system by relying on very and -- I mean this so so strongly -- on the very people who rigged it.”

Trump also outlined an “America First” policy that protects American jobs and boosts American manufacturing.

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To have even a slight prayer of beating Clinton, Sanders would likely have to win Califoia and other remaining primaries by overwhelming margins, since Democratic primaries allocate delegates proportionally. New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota hold Democratic primaries Tuesday, and there are caucuses in North Dakota.

Clinton was declared the wier of the New Jersey primary Tuesday.

Sanders also hopes to convince superdelegates, who are free to support the candidate of their choice, that he is stronger against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Clinton had the support of 571 superdelegates compared to 48 for Sanders, and he faces a Herculean task in getting superdelegates to switch allegiances when Clinton has won more states and votes.

Momentum and symbolism are the reasons Clinton and Sanders spent the past few weeks fervently campaigning in the nation’s most populous state. By wiing here, Clinton could shift even more toward a November matchup with Trump, and pressure would mount on Sanders to leave the race and unify the party.

But if Sanders prevails, he gets further motivation to make good on his promise to campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention in July. And losing solidly blue Califoia would raise questions about Clinton’s ability to unite Democrats and force her to continue a two-front fight with Sanders and Trump.

Clinton entered Tuesday leading Sanders by 291 pledged delegates with 475 up for grabs in Califoia.

Marcia Godwin, an associate professor of public administration at the University of La Vee, said the Califoia primary “has been about finding (Clinton’s) voice and themes for the general election. Even if she doesn’t do as well as she might like, she has had a lot of positive media coverage over the last few weeks and looks energized.”

By contrast, “It is the end game for the Sanders campaign,” Godwin said. “Sanders would have to win in convincing fashion to raise any uncertainty about Clinton’s nomination. A decent showing would be enough, though, to give Sanders leverage at the convention.”

If he doesn’t win the nomination, a secondary goal for Sanders is to give the Democratic Party platform a more liberal flavor. He has asked the party to replace committee heads deemed friendly to Clinton and his campaign complained that the nomination process was unfair to his supporters.

As she tus toward the general election, Clinton would love to bring Sanders voters into the fold. But a number of his more devoted “Beie or Bust” supporters see Clinton as a war-loving stooge for Wall Street.

Clinton also faces lingering questions about her likability and honesty, which were magnified by recent inspector general’s report that concluded she broke State Department rules with a private email server while serving as secretary of state. An ongoing FBI investigation into her email practices leaves the prospect of a criminal indictment hanging over her head.

CALIFORNIA RACE

Both campaigns fought hard in Califoia. Sanders has barely left the state in the past couple of months while Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, has stumped for her all over.

Polls revealed a tightening race between Clinton and Sanders. While Clinton once led by double-digits, polls leading up to the primary showed a statistical dead heat between with Sanders.

As in other states, polls outlined a clear divide between Clinton and Sanders supporters. Clinton did well with older voters and registered Democrats and Sanders was preferred by younger voters and independents.

TRUMP SUPPORT

Trump held rallies in Califoia in recent weeks that attracted protesters, some of whom scuffled with and threw eggs at his supporters. The wealthy real estate mogul, casino owner and reality TV star raised new skepticism of his ability to attract minority voters when he pointed to a black man at a rally and said “Look at my African-American over here!”

Trump also questioned whether judges who are Muslim or of Mexican descent can be fair to him, since he wants to build a wall to keep out undocumented immigrants from Mexico and suggested a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. He referred to a judge overseeing litigation against Trump University as a Mexican, even though the judge was bo in Indiana.

On Tuesday, Trump issued a statement saying his Idea were “misconstrued.” But Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., took back his endorsement of Trump, and House Speaker Paul Ryan said the Idea about Judge Gonzalo Curiel amounted to textbook racism.

Trump also has dealt with negative headlines over Trump University, a for-profit real estate training program accused of defrauding students out of tens of thousands of dollars. And he lashed out at the press over whether his campaign raised millions of dollars for veterans as previously claimed.