Bernie Sanders outpolls Donald Trump, with little result
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, greeting people near Times Square on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, may have finished second in the New York Democratic presidential primary, but he got more votes Tuesday than Donald Trump, who finished first among the Republican candidates. Credit: Craig Ruttle
Now for a bit of perspective.
Second-place Democratic finisher Bernie Sanders got more votes Tuesday in New York than first-place Republican finisher Donald Trump.
So far, the Vermont senator’s tally among Democrats totals 752,739 votes, versus the billionaire’s 518,601 among Republicans.
This is mostly easily explained by the hard fact that Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in the state. Hillary Clinton, who was senator here for eight years, garnered more than a million votes, or 58 percent. All totals are expected to rise as official canvasses are completed and figures reviewed.
This kind of numeric comparison — the stuff strategists will sift in days ahead — puts Tuesday’s primary in a light more sober than you’ll get from hearing the hoarse howls of the victory speeches.
Clinton’s decisive win gives her campaign more license to peddle her inevitability. At first glance, though, her net yield of delegates doesn’t pop off the page. Under the party rules, she takes 139 delegates out of New York but, even with his loss, Sanders gets 106.
Still, Sanders needed to gain ground and didn’t do it in New York. A total 2,383 delegates are needed for nomination. She has 1,897; he has 1,182. Sanders will continue to claim there’s still a path while Clinton broadcast new calls for the party to unify behind her.
According to exit polls published by The Associated Press, nearly three-quarters of New York Democrats said they think the party’s nominee will eventually be Clinton. Delegate totals aside, she edges ahead in perception.
On the Republican side, Trump more clearly gained ground within his divided party. He is picking up at least 89 delegates with John Kasich assured of only three. On Long Island, overall primary turnout among Republicans ran slightly ahead of Democratic turnout.
And Ted “New York values” Cruz comes away with nothing of value from New York, including zero delegates.
It had been looking for a while like Trump doesn’t win any more. He still may face a contested convention, but he now stands closer to avoiding one.
He holds 845 of 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination — still a way to go with a movement to stop him in full swing. Trump’s 60 percent mark, in the native state where he votes, brings psychological breathing room to a candidate whose psychology merits close observation.
All the candidates are already moving on to other states. As they do, the in-state strategists have new data to ponder. For Democrats, one question may be how, with virtually all institutional party support behind Clinton, Sanders still managed 42 percent.
For Republicans, a question may be where Trump drew his greatest numbers, and what this may mean for the enduring clash between regional branches of the party.
The next federal contests take place with congressional primaries in June. Those running can be expected to examine Tuesday’s results for fresh patterns, with a bit of cool detachment as the local noise fades.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
