Hillary Clinton’s coalition continues to grow as she makes preparations to take on the demagogue Donald Trump in the General Election. Clinton’s standing among the base has intensified since super Tuesday in large part due to her overwhelming support among women, blacks, and older voters.
Among African Americans, Clinton has garnered more support then did Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, an astonishing 80+ support in South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and Texas. They comprised more than half of voters in Alabama and Georgia, one third of voters in Tennessee, and one quarter of voters in Virginia and Arkansas. In Texas, where a third of voters were Hispanic, she garnered more than 70% of their vote.
Nearly two thirds of Clinton supporters were women, and two thirds were 45 years of age or older.
Clinton also made inroads with younger (30-44) voters, nearly 60% of whom supported her. In contrast Sanders had been leading among all voters under the age of 45 in the first three contests in February, but that appears to be changing now that Clinton is on her way to the nomination.
Among those who voted for Clinton, 90% said that the most important quality they were looking for was political experience and leadership. Two thirds of her voters want to continue Pres. Obama’s policies.
After building a commanding advantage in the Democratic race after Super Tuesday, some of the more liberal components of the Sanders campaign appear ready to line up behind Clinton in order to prepare for the daunting task ahead of them in defeating the bombastic Donald Trump in the General Election.
As Clinton was sweeping to victory in many of the delegate rich states last Tuesday and building an advantage that Sanders is increasingly unlikely to reverse, some progressive groups were beginning to realign their message and striking a different cord more in tune with the Democratic National Convention.
Clinton is now halfway to the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination. Although Sanders has instructed his followers to ignore the defeats and continue on, by the time any of the favorable northern states come into play, Clinton’s inevitability in delegate count will have become insurmountable.
Clinton has now turned her sights away from Bernie Sanders and has begun focusing on Trump, as was apparent in a victory rally she gave in Miami on Tuesday, in a state that may very well cement her delegate lead, and propel her to the nomination.