Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders emerged victorious Tuesday in their respective West Virginia primaries.
Sanders’ win in the state comes amid proclamations from liberal pundits that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has all but sealed her fate at the party’s presidential nominee. But Sanders, who has now won 19 state contests, has pledged to continue his campaign all the way to the convention this summer.
For the Republicans, Trump, the only remaining candidate in the GOP contest, cruised to victory in the Mountain State. Many have argued the state was made for the brash billionaire businessman, as it boasts a largely Caucasian, low-income electorate who often feel neglected by elected officials.
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In addition, many in West Virginia’s robust miner population have gravitated to Trump’s candidacy after Clinton said in March she would “put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business” if elected president. Trump promises to protect — and expand — the coal industry if he wins the White House in the fall.
Interestingly, according to NBC News, 40 percent of Sanders’ West Virginia voters said they would support Trump over the self-identified socialist in a general election matchup. The development suggests that some independent voters may have actually pledged to be Democrats for the day because of the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, also held Tuesday.
There are 34 delegates up for grabs for Republicans in West Virginia and 29 for Democrats.
Source: The Blaze
