Bernie Sanders wins big in Utah, Idaho, reignites campaign

March 22, 2016
Issue 


Sanders at a campaign rally in San Diego, March 22.

Democrat voters in Utah, Idaho, and Arizona have turned out in unprecedented numbers or March 22 caucuses, with self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders winning big in Utah and Idaho, TeleSUR English said that day.

TelSUR English said: "Sanders is projected to win Utah by a wide margin, a welcome victory for the Vermont senator after a string of losses. With 14 percent of precincts counted, he has 75.4 percent of the vote compared to just 24.1 percent from Hillary."

Projections also indicate another big win for Sanders in Idaho, giving him two states out of three ahead of Hillary. With all precincts reporting, Sanders takes the state with 78%, while Clinton received just 21.2% of the vote.

It came after Clinton scooped a victory in Arizona. With almost half of the votes counted, the former Secretary of State had about 60%.

US Uncut said on March 23 that in Utah, "the most conservative state of the country", Sanders was set to "take home at least 18 of the 37 proportionally awarded delegates in Utah, and he remains on target for the nomination, as Sanders needs at least 58 percent of the remaining vote to capture the nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention in July.

"Turnout was even higher than expected — there were reports on the ground of precincts running out of ballots and lines stretching for blocks.

"Sanders' victory was likely made possible by the scores of young voters and independents, as they waited for hours in line to caucus for the Vermont senator.

"Recently, Sanders was named the 'king of credibility' by The Hill, as the Democratic Socialist consistently ranks #1 out of all five remaining presidential candidates when it comes to the percentage of Americans who trust what he says. Out of all Democrats surveyed, 84 percent said Sanders was honest and trustworthy, compared to just 54 percent for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton."

US Uncut also reported: "The Associated Press has deemed Bernie Sanders the winner of the Idaho caucuses amidst incredibly high record turnout. With 45 of 45 precincts reporting and 78% of the vote going to the Vermont sentaor, Sanders is the winner and has gained a majority of the 23 pledged delegates at stake in the Gem State.

"This is the largest percentage of the vote that Sanders has captured outside of his home state of Vermont, where Hillary was “nonviable” due to Sanders picking up 86% of the vote ...

"As has been the pattern in states Sanders has won, he soared to victory amidst caucus turnout that outpaced 2008 — the last time there was a contested Democratic presidential primary. Furthermore, by winning 78 percent of the vote in Idaho, he has kept well on track with the pledged delegate path he needs to follow to win the Democratic nomination. Pollsters have stated Sanders needs 58 percent of the vote in the remaining primary and caucus states to secure the nomination."

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