WASHINGTON: US states Alaska, Hawaii and Washington take their turn voting Saturday in the Democratic presidential nominating contest, with Hillary Clinton unlikely to deliver a knockout blow against resilient rival Bernie Sanders. The trio of western caucuses marks a chance for Vermont Senator Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, to chisel away at Clinton’s formidable lead in the delegate count. Sanders gave a rousing rendition of his standard stump speech late Friday in Seattle, Washington, just hours ahead of the caucus there, inveighing against police brutality, a too-low minimum wage, and soaring student debt and other ills. But even if the insurgent candidate makes a clean sweep of Saturday’s votes, he still has a steep climb to get within striking distance of Clinton. She has a commanding lead in the delegate race with 1711, including super-delegates who are un-elected by voters, compared to 952 for Sanders, according to a CNN count. To win the Democratic nomination, 2,383 delegates are needed.

AFP