WASHINGTON (AP) – Hillary Clinton is closing in fast on the Democratic presidential nomination.
After losing three of four state contests in May, Clinton has maintained a lead over Bernie Sanders of 271 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses.
She is steadily picking up more support from superdelegates, the party leaders who can back any candidate of their choice, dampening Sanders’ chances further even as he insists he can win them over later this summer. In the last week, Clinton picked up 12 new superdelegate endorsements while Sanders netted two, according to an Associated Press survey.
When including superdelegates, Clinton’s lead grows to 2,305, or 97 percent of the 2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination.
The Democratic primaries are now in a two-week break. They resume in the Virgin Islands on June 4 and Puerto Rico on June 5, with 67 delegates at stake.