American News Media Declares Clinton the Democratic Nominee Day Before Voting

Jun 7, 2016

American News Media Declares Clinton the Democratic Nominee Day Before Voting

Neither Bernie Sanders nor Hilary Clinton have enough pledged delegates to have clinched the Democratic nomination for Presidential candidate. Both are sitting under 2000 pledged delegates, and must reach the 2383 threshold. 

But American news media, led first by the Associated Press, has declared Hilary Clinton the presumptive nominee.

This came last night, June 6th, the day before six states hold their primary votes, including California, the nation's largest state.

Last primary cycle for the Democratic Party, in 2008, Barack Obama was declared the victor over Hilary Clinton on the evening of the California primary, once vote counts began rolling in. 

But American news media this year called it a day early, before millions went to the polls. Some have cried fowl, saying this will taint polling results in the handful of states still left to vote.

So why did it happen?

The Associated Press and others, including the New York Times, point to superdelegates, who only vote at the Democratic convention, which begins July 25th. The claim is that Hilary Clinton has secured enough firm commitment from superdelegates that the nomination is effectively sealed up.

Superdelegates are individuals who vote at the Democratic convention in July, and do not need to vote along the same lines as those who go to the polls during the primaries. For example, a super delegate from the state of Indiana could vote for candidate Bernie Sanders at the July convention, even if Sanders didn't get a single vote from Democratic Party members in the Indiana primary. (As a note, Saunders won the Indiana primary, with 52.5% of the vote.)

The Sanders camp maintains they are continuing their campaign up to the convention in July. But with the nation's major news media trumpeting Clinton's triumph so firmly and widely, it will be a difficult uphill battle for the left-leaning Senator of Vermont. 

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is currently embroiled in a civil lawsuit over her private email server, which was improperly used for American government business.

Donald Trump has secured the delegate threshold for Republican Party nominee.