Bernie Sanders Wins The Low-Turnout Democratic Caucus In North Dakota

In what is likely to be a moot point in the grand scheme of this primary campaign, Bernie Sanders won the Democratic caucus in North Dakota by a wide margin on Tuesday night. As of this writing, Sanders leads Clinton by almost 40 points with over 70 percent of the vote counted.

Sanders has repeatedly said that his chances of victory increase when turnout is highest, but he has actually performed best in caucus states, which often have drastically lower turnout than primary states.

In any case, the victory is only symbolic as Clinton has already secured enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee. Plus, North Dakota is the lowest delegate prize of all six states voting on Tuesday for the Democrats, proportionally allocating just 23 delegates between the two candidates.

In two other primary states where polls closed this hour – New Mexico and South Dakota – Clinton leads Sanders by a 54-47 margin in both contests. Neither state has yet been called for either candidate.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.