WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on campaign 2016 (Eastern Standard Time):
10:35 a.m.
Bernie Sanders has scored a big win in the Democrats Abroad global primary.
The party says 34,570 U.S. citizens living abroad in 38 countries cast votes by Internet, mail and in person from March 1 to 8. Sanders received 69 percent of the vote to earn nine of the 13 delegates at stake. Hillary Clinton won 31 percent, picking up four delegates.
It’s an important victory for Sanders, who was swept by Clinton in five states last Tuesday.
Still, Sanders continues to trail Clinton by more than 300 delegates.
Clinton now has 1,163 delegates to Sanders’ 844, based on primaries and caucuses.
When including superdelegates, or party leaders who can support any candidate, her lead is even bigger – 1,630 to Sanders’ 870. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.
Halfway into the primary season, the Democratic race now moves to Western states this week that Sanders is counting on winning to cut into Clinton’s lead. On Tuesday, Democrats vote in Arizona, Idaho and Utah, with 131 delegates up for grabs; on Saturday, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington hold caucuses with 142 delegates at stake.
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10:20 a.m.
Early voting has begun in Wisconsin ahead of its April 5 primary.
Voters were able to cast ballots in person at local election offices beginning at 8 a.m. Monday. The first voter in line in the capital city of Madison, Andrew Powell, was there to vote for Donald Trump.
Powell said he is an independent who voted for President Barack Obama in 2012, but he thinks Trump will cut taxes for the middle class. Powell said Trump stands for “truth, justice and the American way.”
Rachel Brenner voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton. Brenner said she’s very worried about the tone of the race, noting that it hurts the candidates, country and ultimately, the world.
Early voting in Wisconsin runs through April 1.
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8:45 a.m.
Hillary Clinton is planning to take some veiled shots at Republican front-runner Donald Trump during an address to a pro-Israel advocacy organization.
Clinton will tell attendees of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference Monday that the U.S. must never be “neutral” about defending Israel. She will also stress that the relationship with Israel is not “negotiable,” her campaign said, previewing her remarks.
In February, Trump said he’d be “sort of a neutral guy” on Israel, sparking criticism from Republican allies of the Jewish state. While the U.S. is officially neutral in the Middle East conflict, his statement sparked a marked rhetorical departure for typically-strongly pro-Israel U.S. presidential candidates.
Clinton will also say the next president must be a “steady hand, not unpredictable” when dealing with allies like Israel.