Hillary Clinton, here at a polling place in New York, won the state handily, putting opponent Bernie Sanders well behind in delegates.
2016 Democratic Presidential contender Hillary Clinton turned a huge polling lead into a decisive victory at the ballot box. As of 10:07 p.m., Fox Business is predicting a nearly 20-point victory for Clinton over Democratic rival Bernie Sanders:
Like all Democratic primary and caucus contests, New York awards its delegates proportionally, meaning that Hillary will pick up 139 of the state’s 297 delegates, according to CNN’s projections.
| Delegate Count (2,383 Needed) | Pledged Delegates | Total Delegates |
| Hillary Clinton | 1428 | 1930 |
| Bernie Sanders | 1130 | 1161 |
Clinton was always expected to win her former constituency and post-Secretary home, leading by as much as 48 in early polls. While Sanders had managed to close the gap somewhat by primary day, the race still swung significantly for Clinton.
While the results themselves were well in Clinton’s hands, the win was not without controversy. An 11th-hour lawsuit alleged that registered Democrats were purged from the voter rolls. The lawsuit was moved to another day but not outright dismissed, raising concerns that Tuesday’s results may be far from final.
What Comes Next: Sanders Against the Wall
While Sanders finished well ahead of where the polls put him, he needed an outright win, not a close loss. As the race winds to a close, Sanders is running out of states that can help him make up the multi-hundred-delegate hole he’s in. Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight predicted before the primary that a loss would mean Sanders would need to increase his margins in states that already don’t favor him:
| State | FiveThirtyEight Prediction: Sanders Needed Margin | RealClearPolitics Polling Margin |
| California | +20 | -10.7 |
| Pennsylvania | +11 | -13 |
| Kentucky | +24 | -44* |
*Based on one poll from June 2015
