Intra-Party Elections; Sanders Wins in Washington and Alaska

The intra-party competition among the Democrats in the United States for the final presidential nomination continues with Bernie Sanders winning the primaries in Washington and Alaska. The primary elections in Hawaii will also take place in the coming hours, where it is expected that the votes from these islands will also favor Sanders. On March 7, Sanders outperformed Hillary Clinton in the caucuses known as 'Party Conventions' in both Washington and Alaska. Unlike direct voting, 'Party Conventions' refer to gatherings where a group of party members selects their preferred candidate. Sanders has predominantly triumphed in states where Party Conventions are held. Senator Sanders stated to his supporters in Wisconsin, 'We have significantly blocked Clinton's path to victory... we can be on the path to victory.' He tweeted, 'It is not easy for anyone to ignore the opportunity that has arisen for our campaign.' However, the Vermont senator still has a long way to go to surpass the former Secretary of State, as Clinton's votes still exceed his and will likely increase in the coming days. Associated Press estimates indicate that by adding 'superdelegates' (members of the Democratic National Convention), Clinton's support could reach 1703 compared to Sanders' 985, which is almost double. The Associated Press states that for Sanders to secure a majority of delegates by the end of June, he must win 57% of the remaining delegates in the upcoming elections and caucuses. However, this figure increases when considering party officials, reaching 67% of the pledged delegates (from elections, caucuses, and superdelegates). Nevertheless, Sanders' significant and relatively easy victories on Saturday create new opportunities for him. According to Reuters, these victories may also reduce the demands from Democratic leaders for him to withdraw from the intra-party competition. The pledged delegates from the intra-party elections, which are divided between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders, amount to 101 votes in Washington, 16 votes in the sparsely populated Alaska, and 25 votes in the Hawaiian Islands. A candidate can be nominated by the Democratic Party as the final candidate for the presidential election, which requires collecting 2383 pledged delegates from the states of the United States.