Weekend of Bernie's: Huge Maine Victory Caps Resurgency for Sanders

[Octafish]

'The pundits might not like it but the people are making history. We now have the momentum to go all the way to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.'

by Jon Queally, staff writer
CommonDreams, March 7, 2016

Record-breaking turnout fueled a dramatic day of voting and an emphatic victory for Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the Maine caucus on Sunday, topping a weekend where the senator bested the former secretary of state in three out of four contests nationwide.

With more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, the Maine Democratic Party results showed that Sanders claimed 64 percent of the vote to Clinton's 36 percent. On Saturday, as Common Dreams reported, Sanders also won in Nebraska and Kansas. In the four total contests over the weekend, Clinton's sole victory came in Louisiana.

In a statement late on Sunday, Sanders thanked voters in Maine where he said the large margin of victory shows he can be competitive nationwide. "With another double-digit victory, we have now won by wide margins in states from New England to the Rocky Mountains and from the Midwest to the Great Plains," declared Sanders. "This weekend alone we won in Maine, Kansas and Nebraska. The pundits might not like it but the people are making history. We now have the momentum to go all the way to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia."

According to local reporting from across the state, it appears—in addition to the obvious support for his political message—that record turnout was the driving factor for Sanders' win. In a tweet, the Maine Democratic Party said the number of voters on Sunday was unprecedented in state history. "More Maine Democrats caucused today than ever before," said the message.

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http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/03/07/weekend-bernies-huge-maine-victory-caps-resurgency-sanders

Voter turnout was hyuuuuuuuge!

[magical thyme]

1. spring weather should help improve turnout, too, as the primaries go on!

We're just damn lucky we had a 40 degree mostly sunny day here! A nor'easter or last year's Alberta Clipper blizzard-fest would have been a nightmare!

[Octafish]

2. Detroit might see temps in the mid-60s tomorrow.

Which is weird, considering how it's winter, but, hey!

Following the weekend contests and ahead of the Democratic primary in Michigan on Tuesday, Clinton continues to hold a sizable, though not insurmountable, lead in terms of delegates. According to the AP's latest tabulation, Clinton has at least 1,130 delegates to Sanders' 499. Those figures include pledged delegates and superdelegates — elected lawmakers as well as former and current party officials who can support the candidate of their choice. It takes a total of 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.