'Milestone' Clinton celebrates

Hillary Clinton has cemented her status as the Democratic nominee for president with convincing primary wins in California, New Jersey and New Mexico, calling on supporters of her rival, Bernie Sanders, to unite behind her historic candidacy.

But on a night when it became clear that Clinton would secure a majority of pledged delegates, Sanders refused to
bow out, telling supporters that their fight would continue to the Democratic National Convention in July.

The senator’s defiant remarks came after Clinton effectively declared victory in her overall battle against Sanders at a rally in New York.

Clinton told supporters that she had “reached a milestone” as the first woman to be a major party’s nominee for president, and immediately framed November’s general election as a contest between two opposing visions of the future.

“He’s not just trying to build a wall between America and Mexico, he’s trying to wall off Americans from each other,” Clinton said, taking aim at the policies and slogans that have become the hallmark of her Republican rival, Donald Trump. “When he says let’s make America great again, that is code for let’s take America backwards.”

In her speech, Clinton praised Sanders for exciting “millions of voters, especially young people” in what she said was an “extraordinary campaign”.

“I know it never feels good to put your heart into a cause or a candidate you believe in and come up short,” she said, referring to her defeat to Barack Obama in 2008. “I know that feeling well.”

Sanders had been pinning his hopes on an upset in California, the most delegate-rich contest on the primary calendar, and one where polls had recently shown him neck and neck against Clinton. But on Wednesday, with 91.7% of precincts reporting, Clinton had 56% and Sanders 43% of the vote, Associated Press reported.
She had also won New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota, while Sanders had triumphed in North Dakota and Montana.

However, on the Republican side, Trump remained mired in a remarkable clash with the most senior members of his party, including the leaders of the House and the Senate, some of whom were effectively accusing the nominee they have just endorsed of outright racism.