The Latest: Clinton on track to win nomination in early June

[webfact]

The Latest: Clinton on track to win nomination in early June

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Tuesday's primary elections in Kentucky and Oregon (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

Just 118 short of the delegates needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton remains on track to do so by early June.

Clinton and Sanders each picked up at least 25 delegates Tuesday in Kentucky's presidential primary.

The margin in Kentucky between the two is less than one-half of 1 percent, which means the race is too close to call.

After the votes in Oregon are counted later Tuesday, the next caucuses are in the Virgin Islands on June 4 and Puerto Rico on June 5, with a combined total of 67 delegates at stake.

If Sanders still hopes to reach the 2,383 needed to win, he would have to pick up an overwhelming 88 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates.

That's all but impossible under the Democrats' system of awarding delegates in proportion to the vote, rather than winner-takes-all.

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9:33 p.m.

The Democratic presidential primary may be too close to call in Kentucky, but Hillary Clinton is still inching closer to the Democratic nomination — she's now 95 percent of the way there.

The tight margin in Kentucky between Clinton and rival Bernie Sanders means that the two will split the state's delegates fairly evenly.

With 55 delegates at stake, Clinton and Sanders will each pick up at least 25. Five delegates remain to be allocated, pending final vote tallies.

That means based on primaries and caucuses to date, Clinton now has 1,741 delegates. Sanders has 1,458.

To close that 283 delegate gap, Sanders would need to win 67 percent of the remaining primary and caucus delegates.

Clinton's lead is wider when including superdelegates, or party officials who can back any candidate.

She has 2,265. That's 95 percent of the 2,383 needed to win. Sanders has 1,498.

Oregon voters also were casting ballots Tuesday, with 61 delegates at stake.

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9:27 p.m.

The Democratic presidential primary in Kentucky between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is too close to call.

With almost all the votes counted, the margin between the two candidates is less than 1 percent.

That's a result that won't change the overall arc of the race for the Democratic nomination.

The two rivals will more or less split the delegates available in the state. That's a victory for Clinton, as she pushes ever closer to securing her party's nomination.

Thanks to party rules that award delegates proportionally, the former secretary of state has maintained her steady march toward securing the 2,383 delegates it takes to win their party's nomination.

Clinton began the night just 140 delegates shy of that number.

Democrats were also holding a presidential primary Tuesday in Oregon.

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8:30 p.m.

Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly are calling a truce.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee and the star Fox News anchor sat down for an interview broadcast Tuesday nearly nine months after their feud began.

Trump took offense in August to a question Kelly asked during a Republican debate and, in the months that followed, repeatedly attacked her on Twitter.

In the interview, which was taped a few weeks ago, Trump appeared sheepish when pressed by Kelly on how he described her as a "bimbo" on Twitter.

He also said he understood that Kelly was simply doing her job and he "liked" where their relationship was now.

He also seemed chagrined that he retweeted a post that mocked the looks of Heidi Cruz, Sen. Ted Cruz's wife.

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7:15 p.m.

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in a closely divided race in Kentucky's presidential primary as the results are reported Tuesday night.

Clinton is trying to avoid losses in Kentucky and Oregon to blunt Sanders' recent momentum. Clinton holds a formidable lead of nearly 300 pledged delegates but Sanders has won primaries in Indiana and West Virginia as the primary race approaches the final contests in June.

Clinton is on track to clinch the Democratic nomination in early June but she's trying to avoid primary defeats during the final stretch as she prepares for Republican Donald Trump.

Sanders is favored in Oregon's primary on Tuesday night.

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6 p.m.

Polls are closed across most of Kentucky, where Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton faces rival Bernie Sanders in the state's presidential primary. They're open for another hour in about a third of the state.

It's the first of two primary elections on Tuesday for Democrats, who also are voting in Oregon.

The former secretary of state entered Tuesday's primaries with a lead of nearly 300 pledged delegates over Sanders. She also has a wide lead among party officials and elected leaders known as superdelegates.

Clinton is on track to clinch the Democratic nomination in early June, but is trying to avoid a streak of losses in the final stretch of the primary campaign.

Sanders is coming off recent primary wins in Indiana and West Virginia.

Republicans were also voting Tuesday in Oregon, with presumptive nominee Donald Trump expected to win easily.

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1:09 p.m.

Donald Trump has picked up nine delegates in Guam. He now needs fewer than 100 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination for president.

The U.S. territory held its territorial convention in March. The delegates are unbound, which means they are free to support the candidate of their choice. In a statement, the Guam Republican Party said all nine delegates pledged to support Trump on Tuesday.

Trump has 1,143 delegates heading into the Oregon primary on Tuesday. He needs 1,237 to clinch the nomination.

There are 28 delegates at stake in Oregon's Republican primary.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-18

[arjunadawn]

"Hillary Clinton keeps losing. So how come she's winning?" Read: How does a loser win?)

This is the question news articles offered recently. While they are poking at the Byzantium primary process they underscore the visceral pulse of the nation- how does someone so repugnant to voters win? HRC being "on track" to win by June is farcical. She is clearly going through the motions of little more than a Banana Republic stage show.

After all, this unspoken fact is why 'How does a loser win?' sells papers at all during the Democratic Primary with Sanders. Hillary was detested as a First Lady. She was/ is despised as a human being; deep, visceral disdain by millions (evidently she equally despises millions). How has it come to pass that Clinton is on track for anything other than prison?

More than any other index, witnessing HRC is like watching the nation self destruct in real time. She is a misanthrope and she is dangerous.

Did someone's murder "have anything to do with your visit?

HRC: "I'm sure it did."

[Jingthing]

Congratulations to Hillary Clinton. We love Bernie Sanders too. On to November to vanquish the orange beast.

[mrwebb8825]

Whoever is writing these stories must be a Clinton fan.

Actual delegates earned: Clinton has 1,741 delegates. Sanders has 1,458

Actual delegated needed: 2,383

Total Delegates, Pledged and Unpledged: 4,765

Not yet allocated: 939

If they split what's left 50-50 Clinton would have 2211 and Bernie would have 1928 and THEN they get to ply/bribe/false promise the unpledged for the 1st vote. Those 600+ will make or break either 1.

[Usernames]

Turns out there was more true democracy in Republican primaries than Democratic ones. Clinton, Inc. has stolen your votes. Get mad. Get even. Vote for Trump.

[MZurf]

Turns out there was more true democracy in Republican primaries than Democratic ones. Clinton, Inc. has stolen your votes. Get mad. Get even. Vote for Trump.

So if someone stole something from me I should go ahead and commit suicide??

[Usernames]

Turns out there was more true democracy in Republican primaries than Democratic ones. Clinton, Inc. has stolen your votes. Get mad. Get even. Vote for Trump.

So if someone stole something from me I should go ahead and commit suicide??

The only way you can commit suicide is to give the thief the bullets for the gun she is holding on you.

[quandow]

Two points:

1. Consider the source. This is from Associated Press (AP), owned by nefarious establishment corporatists who want Hillary as president in the worst way.

2. These numbers are skewed by the AP spinners. They include "Superdelegates" (and GAWD HOW I HATE THAT CONCEPT!). Remove these Superdelegate shills and it's a FRIGHTENINGLY close race. "Frightening to whom," you ask? To those who wish to keep the population of the world in chains. If Bernie Sanders wins 56% of California (polls have him currently at 61.5%) and ties in the rest of the states, he beats Hillary in raw votes.

What most people don't understand is Hillary purchased the votes of 33 states' Superdelegates before Bernie even announced he was running. She wanted to ensure what happened to her in 2008 didn't repeat itself. Those Superdelegates can switch their votes in the July Democratic Convention if they detect a shift in the political wind. MANY of these Superdelegates are politicians who are ALSO up for re-election this November. Bernie is building steam again and is still a serious contender in this race.

And . . . who do you REALLY want in the oval office with the nuclear codes? Either of two idiots with war on the tip of their tongues or a Quixotic peacemaker?

[NovaBlue05]

The fix has been in since the end of the convention in 2008. Sanders just needs to stay the course and force the establishment to drag Clinton across the goal line.

[up2u2]

Hillary brokers a deal with the DNC that if she ran she would be guaranteed the nomination. Done deal. Also if you are Wall Street and you make an investment you want insurance on that investment that it pays off. Done deal.

The opposite for Trump he has just now brokered a deal to get access to Citizens United slush fund

Bernie just had good policies that benefited the American People. No deals with the Big End Of Town

[Jingthing]

Hillary brokers a deal with the DNC that if she ran she would be guaranteed the nomination. Done deal. Also if you are Wall Street and you make an investment you want insurance on that investment that it pays off. Done deal.

The opposite for Trump he has just now brokered a deal to get access to Citizens United slush fund

Bernie just had good policies that benefited the American People. No deals with the Big End Of Town

Dude that's a dirty lie. Clinton never had any such guarantee. Spreading garbage propaganda like that only helps trump.

[NovaBlue05]

Of course it's not contractually documented but it would be difficult to overlook the fact that the DNC and media both have promoted her as the next nominee nonstop since dumping her for the sexier "first black President" in 2008