SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Bernie Sanders Adds to His Momentum With a Big Wisconsin Win
The Vermont senator wins a battleground state by a 57-43 margin.
Apr 06, 2016
There are two kinds of math in the Democratic presidential race: delegate math and momentum math. Backers of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton prefer the delegate math, for obvious reasons. She has a solid lead in pledged delegates and, when superdelegates are added in, her advantage becomes overwhelming.
Backers of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders prefer the momentum math, for equally obvious reasons. Since March 22, Sanders has won six of seven state contests. He also dominated the "global primary" organized by Democrats Abroad.
On Tuesday night, Sanders won a pivotal contest in the battleground state of Wisconsin, besting Clinton by a 57-43 margin. That was not quite the 58-41 margin that secured the state for Barack Obama when he faced Clinton in 2008. But it was close enough to have Sanders challenging the narrative that says he cannot win the Democratic nod.
"The corporate media and political establishment keep counting us out, but we keep winning..." --Bernie Sanders
"The corporate media and political establishment keep counting us out, but we keep winning states and doing so by large margins," Sanders declared Tuesday night. "If we can keep this up, we're going to shock them all and win this nomination."
Sanders won 71 of 72 Wisconsin counties, showing strength in urban, suburban, and rural areas. (Among the rural areas where the senator ran particularly well was Menominee County, where 87 percent of the residents are Native Americans and Sanders took 63 percent of the vote.) In Milwaukee County, which was seen as Clinton's base in the state, she did win; but the margin of 52-48 was far closer than in populous Dane County (Madison), where Sanders led 63-37. As in Michigan, where Sanders scored a surprise win in March, the senator won around 30 percent of the African-American vote. That was a stronger number than in several Southern states that voted in late February and early March. But it was still far less than the level of support for Clinton, who in Wisconsin campaigned with the support of popular Congresswoman Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee.
Also, as in Michigan, trade was big issue in Wisconsin, with 60 percent of Wisconsinites who said that current trade policies harm the United States voting for Sanders, who vigorously opposes them.
For Sanders, it was a very big win in a state where both candidates mounted serious campaigns. And it yielded Sanders 45 pledged delegates to 31 for Clinton, according to the New York Times count. But Clinton still leads in the race for pledged delegates, with 1,295 for the former secretary of state to 1,066 for Sanders, according to the CNN count. And when superdelegates are added in, it's Clinton's 1,778 to Sanders's 1,092. That's something to brag about.
But Sanders has a different kind of bragging rights. He says he's got momentum, and as long as he maintains it--in a race that now heads toward the delegate-rich primaries in New York and beyond--that is also something to brag about. Arguing that the Wisconsin win "kicked off the most important three-week stretch of the campaign," the senator told backers: "If we can keep our momentum going through the states that vote and caucus over the next three weeks, we're going to win this election."
"This is a close and competitive race that will be fought through all 50 states." --Dan Cantor, Working Families Party
The hope of Sanders and his supporters is that their momentum math will ultimately influence the delegate math, by cutting Clinton's pledged-delegate lead and convincing superdelegates to swing his way--as happened in 2008, when a number of superdelegates who were initially leaning toward Clinton ended up with Obama. That's still a tall order. The great challenge with momentum math is that it requires a steady pattern of victories. Sanders has enjoyed that pattern in recent weeks. But now the race turns to New York and Pennsylvania, big, diverse states where polls give Clinton the advantage.
But the scope of the Wisconsin win had a key Sanders backer in New York, Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor, sounding optimistic. "The Sanders campaign knocked another chunk out of Secretary Clinton's delegate lead tonight," Cantor said Tuesday night. "After a convincing win, Sanders' path to victory is becoming clearer than ever. The political establishment can no longer deny it: this is [a] close and competitive race that will be fought through all fifty states."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 The Nation
John Nichols
John Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. His books co-authored with Robert W. McChesney are: "Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America" (2014), "The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again" (2011), and "Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy" (2006). Nichols' other books include: "The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism" (2015), "Dick: The Man Who is President (2004) and "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism" (2006).
barack obamabernie sanderselection 2016hillary clintonjohn nicholsnew yorkwisconsinworking families party
There are two kinds of math in the Democratic presidential race: delegate math and momentum math. Backers of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton prefer the delegate math, for obvious reasons. She has a solid lead in pledged delegates and, when superdelegates are added in, her advantage becomes overwhelming.
Backers of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders prefer the momentum math, for equally obvious reasons. Since March 22, Sanders has won six of seven state contests. He also dominated the "global primary" organized by Democrats Abroad.
On Tuesday night, Sanders won a pivotal contest in the battleground state of Wisconsin, besting Clinton by a 57-43 margin. That was not quite the 58-41 margin that secured the state for Barack Obama when he faced Clinton in 2008. But it was close enough to have Sanders challenging the narrative that says he cannot win the Democratic nod.
"The corporate media and political establishment keep counting us out, but we keep winning..." --Bernie Sanders
"The corporate media and political establishment keep counting us out, but we keep winning states and doing so by large margins," Sanders declared Tuesday night. "If we can keep this up, we're going to shock them all and win this nomination."
Sanders won 71 of 72 Wisconsin counties, showing strength in urban, suburban, and rural areas. (Among the rural areas where the senator ran particularly well was Menominee County, where 87 percent of the residents are Native Americans and Sanders took 63 percent of the vote.) In Milwaukee County, which was seen as Clinton's base in the state, she did win; but the margin of 52-48 was far closer than in populous Dane County (Madison), where Sanders led 63-37. As in Michigan, where Sanders scored a surprise win in March, the senator won around 30 percent of the African-American vote. That was a stronger number than in several Southern states that voted in late February and early March. But it was still far less than the level of support for Clinton, who in Wisconsin campaigned with the support of popular Congresswoman Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee.
Also, as in Michigan, trade was big issue in Wisconsin, with 60 percent of Wisconsinites who said that current trade policies harm the United States voting for Sanders, who vigorously opposes them.
For Sanders, it was a very big win in a state where both candidates mounted serious campaigns. And it yielded Sanders 45 pledged delegates to 31 for Clinton, according to the New York Times count. But Clinton still leads in the race for pledged delegates, with 1,295 for the former secretary of state to 1,066 for Sanders, according to the CNN count. And when superdelegates are added in, it's Clinton's 1,778 to Sanders's 1,092. That's something to brag about.
But Sanders has a different kind of bragging rights. He says he's got momentum, and as long as he maintains it--in a race that now heads toward the delegate-rich primaries in New York and beyond--that is also something to brag about. Arguing that the Wisconsin win "kicked off the most important three-week stretch of the campaign," the senator told backers: "If we can keep our momentum going through the states that vote and caucus over the next three weeks, we're going to win this election."
"This is a close and competitive race that will be fought through all 50 states." --Dan Cantor, Working Families Party
The hope of Sanders and his supporters is that their momentum math will ultimately influence the delegate math, by cutting Clinton's pledged-delegate lead and convincing superdelegates to swing his way--as happened in 2008, when a number of superdelegates who were initially leaning toward Clinton ended up with Obama. That's still a tall order. The great challenge with momentum math is that it requires a steady pattern of victories. Sanders has enjoyed that pattern in recent weeks. But now the race turns to New York and Pennsylvania, big, diverse states where polls give Clinton the advantage.
But the scope of the Wisconsin win had a key Sanders backer in New York, Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor, sounding optimistic. "The Sanders campaign knocked another chunk out of Secretary Clinton's delegate lead tonight," Cantor said Tuesday night. "After a convincing win, Sanders' path to victory is becoming clearer than ever. The political establishment can no longer deny it: this is [a] close and competitive race that will be fought through all fifty states."
John Nichols
John Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. His books co-authored with Robert W. McChesney are: "Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America" (2014), "The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again" (2011), and "Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy" (2006). Nichols' other books include: "The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism" (2015), "Dick: The Man Who is President (2004) and "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism" (2006).
There are two kinds of math in the Democratic presidential race: delegate math and momentum math. Backers of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton prefer the delegate math, for obvious reasons. She has a solid lead in pledged delegates and, when superdelegates are added in, her advantage becomes overwhelming.
Backers of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders prefer the momentum math, for equally obvious reasons. Since March 22, Sanders has won six of seven state contests. He also dominated the "global primary" organized by Democrats Abroad.
On Tuesday night, Sanders won a pivotal contest in the battleground state of Wisconsin, besting Clinton by a 57-43 margin. That was not quite the 58-41 margin that secured the state for Barack Obama when he faced Clinton in 2008. But it was close enough to have Sanders challenging the narrative that says he cannot win the Democratic nod.
"The corporate media and political establishment keep counting us out, but we keep winning..." --Bernie Sanders
"The corporate media and political establishment keep counting us out, but we keep winning states and doing so by large margins," Sanders declared Tuesday night. "If we can keep this up, we're going to shock them all and win this nomination."
Sanders won 71 of 72 Wisconsin counties, showing strength in urban, suburban, and rural areas. (Among the rural areas where the senator ran particularly well was Menominee County, where 87 percent of the residents are Native Americans and Sanders took 63 percent of the vote.) In Milwaukee County, which was seen as Clinton's base in the state, she did win; but the margin of 52-48 was far closer than in populous Dane County (Madison), where Sanders led 63-37. As in Michigan, where Sanders scored a surprise win in March, the senator won around 30 percent of the African-American vote. That was a stronger number than in several Southern states that voted in late February and early March. But it was still far less than the level of support for Clinton, who in Wisconsin campaigned with the support of popular Congresswoman Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee.
Also, as in Michigan, trade was big issue in Wisconsin, with 60 percent of Wisconsinites who said that current trade policies harm the United States voting for Sanders, who vigorously opposes them.
For Sanders, it was a very big win in a state where both candidates mounted serious campaigns. And it yielded Sanders 45 pledged delegates to 31 for Clinton, according to the New York Times count. But Clinton still leads in the race for pledged delegates, with 1,295 for the former secretary of state to 1,066 for Sanders, according to the CNN count. And when superdelegates are added in, it's Clinton's 1,778 to Sanders's 1,092. That's something to brag about.
But Sanders has a different kind of bragging rights. He says he's got momentum, and as long as he maintains it--in a race that now heads toward the delegate-rich primaries in New York and beyond--that is also something to brag about. Arguing that the Wisconsin win "kicked off the most important three-week stretch of the campaign," the senator told backers: "If we can keep our momentum going through the states that vote and caucus over the next three weeks, we're going to win this election."
"This is a close and competitive race that will be fought through all 50 states." --Dan Cantor, Working Families Party
The hope of Sanders and his supporters is that their momentum math will ultimately influence the delegate math, by cutting Clinton's pledged-delegate lead and convincing superdelegates to swing his way--as happened in 2008, when a number of superdelegates who were initially leaning toward Clinton ended up with Obama. That's still a tall order. The great challenge with momentum math is that it requires a steady pattern of victories. Sanders has enjoyed that pattern in recent weeks. But now the race turns to New York and Pennsylvania, big, diverse states where polls give Clinton the advantage.
But the scope of the Wisconsin win had a key Sanders backer in New York, Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor, sounding optimistic. "The Sanders campaign knocked another chunk out of Secretary Clinton's delegate lead tonight," Cantor said Tuesday night. "After a convincing win, Sanders' path to victory is becoming clearer than ever. The political establishment can no longer deny it: this is [a] close and competitive race that will be fought through all fifty states."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.