Millions of supporters stood up in this election to fight for a platform that we have never seen.&nbsp; The leader at the helm of that platform was Senator Bernie Sanders.

After a fierce campaign, he has elected to endorse Hillary Clinton despite the stark difference they have in policy and belief system.&nbsp;I am a Bernie Sanders supporter.&nbsp;An avid supporter to say the least.&nbsp;Let me tell you why.

This campaign taught me that if you have thoughts and beliefs that are different from others but you feel they are right, you not only can but should&nbsp;stand up and fight for what you believe in with all your heart.&nbsp;It taught me that having non-populist views is not always a losing battle. It taught me to not be a quiet status quo reformer but be one publicly and join with others who believe the same.

In short, more than the politics, policy, and engagement in public service, this campaign has taught me that my voice, even though it doesn&#39;t fall in&nbsp;line with most, counts! &nbsp;

Bernie was the leader to help us realise that we have a voice and we now have a place in public service to make an impact.&nbsp;It&#39;s our turn to make a difference.

So you may ask, your leader has endorsed Hillary, why not Hillary?&nbsp;It&#39;s simple.&nbsp;My voice has not changed.&nbsp;My belief system has not changed.&nbsp;If I switched sides because it is all of the sudden &quot;popular&quot;, I&#39;d now be contradicting why I stood up in the first place.&nbsp;What type of person would I be now if I&#39;m all of the sudden just following what popular leaving aside the core reason why you starting fighting in the first place? (maybe a politician?) &nbsp;

The popular saying, &quot;if the one you follow jumps off a bridge, would you do the same?&quot;.&nbsp;I&#39;m not jumping with Sander&#39;s off the bridge to Hillary.&nbsp; I&#39;m gonna be around far longer to fight that battle in the coming years than he is and its going to have a direct impact on my life, my families life, and my future kids. That&#39;s a fight I intend to stay in for the right reasons.

Leaving all grievances and opinions aside of Sanders&#39;s blatant disregard of his own platform and people who believed in him because he was consistent and showing that when it really counted he wasn&#39;t, we weren&#39;t standing up to fight for Bernie Sanders.&nbsp;We are&nbsp;fighting for the principles and policies we believe is best for our people and country.&nbsp;So the fight goes on and it goes on with even greater vigour without &nbsp;Senator Sanders.

You can&#39;t change the trajectory of the country, young people want progressive policies.&nbsp;They are the group who will be the greatest influence in the next 20 to&nbsp;30 years. &nbsp;

Stay tuned for the next article in this 2 part series:

In the next article, I&#39;ll break down &quot;Why Not Hillary Even with Sander&#39;s Endorsement?&quot;

My belief system has not changed.?If I switched sides, I'd now be contradicting why I stood up for Bernie in the first place

Millions of supporters stood up in this election to fight for a platform that we have never seen. The leader at the helm of that platform was Senator Bernie Sanders. After a fierce campaign, he has elected to endorse Hillary Clinton despite the stark difference they have in policy and belief system. I am a Bernie Sanders supporter. An avid supporter to say the least. Let me tell you why. This campaign taught me that if you have thoughts and beliefs that are different from others but you feel they are right, you not only can but should stand up and fight for what you believe in with all your heart. It taught me that having non-populist views is not always a losing battle. It taught me to not be a quiet status quo reformer but be one publicly and join with others who believe the same. In short, more than the politics, policy, and engagement in public service, this campaign has taught me that my voice, even though it doesn't fall in line with most, counts! Bernie was the leader to help us realise that we have a voice and we now have a place in public service to make an impact. It's our turn to make a difference. So you may ask, your leader has endorsed Hillary, why not Hillary? It's simple. My voice has not changed. My belief system has not changed. If I switched sides because it is all of the sudden "popular", I'd now be contradicting why I stood up in the first place. What type of person would I be now if I'm all of the sudden just following what popular leaving aside the core reason why you starting fighting in the first place? (maybe a politician?) The popular saying, "if the one you follow jumps off a bridge, would you do the same?". I'm not jumping with Sander's off the bridge to Hillary. I'm gonna be around far longer to fight that battle in the coming years than he is and its going to have a direct impact on my life, my families life, and my future kids. That's a fight I intend to stay in for the right reasons. Leaving all grievances and opinions aside of Sanders's blatant disregard of his own platform and people who believed in him because he was consistent and showing that when it really counted he wasn't, we weren't standing up to fight for Bernie Sanders. We are fighting for the principles and policies we believe is best for our people and country. So the fight goes on and it goes on with even greater vigour without Senator Sanders. You can't change the trajectory of the country, young people want progressive policies. They are the group who will be the greatest influence in the next 20 to 30 years. Stay tuned for the next article in this 2 part series: In the next article, I'll break down "Why Not Hillary Even with Sander's Endorsement?"

Why I can't root for Hillary even if Bernie endorses her

Democrat Bernie Sanders endorsed former rival Hillary Clinton for president in a show of party unity on Tuesday, saying she was the best candidate to fix the country&#39;s problems and beat Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election. 
 
With Clinton nodding in agreement beside him, Sanders put their bitter primary campaign behind them and said Clinton would take up the fight to ease economic inequality, make college more affordable and expand healthcare coverage for all Americans. 
 
&quot;This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face, and there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that,&quot; he told a raucous crowd in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that included plenty of vocal Sanders supporters. 
 
&quot;I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States,&quot; the U.S. senator from Vermont said. 
 
His endorsement, coming five weeks after Clinton became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, brought the most prominent holdout in the party&#39;s liberal wing into Clinton&#39;s camp. Sanders threw his support to Clinton less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she is expected to be formally nominated. 
 
&quot;I can&#39;t help but reflect on how much more enjoyable this election will be now that we are on the same side,&quot; Clinton said of Sanders. &quot;Thank you Bernie for your endorsement, but more than that, thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice.&quot; 
 
In a statement, the Trump campaign said Sanders was now officially part of the rigged system he had criticized during the long primary battle with Clinton. 
 
&quot;Bernie&#39;s endorsement becomes Exhibit A in our rigged system - the Democrat Party is disenfranchising its voters to benefit the select and privileged few,&quot; said Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump. 
 
Clinton hopes the joint appearance will help her win over Sanders supporters, some of whom carried Sanders signs into the rally and frequently drowned out her backers. In recent Reuters/Ipsos polling, only about 40 percent of Sanders backers said they would back Clinton, and the crowd at Tuesday&#39;s rally made it clear she still had work to do. 
 
&quot;I am absolutely certain I will not vote for Hillary Clinton,&quot; said Gale Bailey, a Sanders supporter and an unemployed graphic designer from Rochester, New Hampshire, who attended the rally in a Sanders T-shirt. 
 
&quot;She&#39;s a crook, and I&#39;m not going to vote for a crook,&quot; Bailey said, adding that she would write in Sanders&#39; name on the November ballot. 
 
Sanders victories on platform 
The appearance in Portsmouth concluded weeks of negotiations between the two camps as Sanders pressed for concessions from Clinton on his liberal policy agenda. 
 
It came after Clinton last week adopted elements of Sanders&#39; plans for free in-state college tuition and expanded affordable healthcare coverage. Sanders also successfully pushed to include an array of liberal policy positions in the Democratic platform, which a committee approved on Saturday. 
 
Sanders did not win all of his policy fights, most notably failing to win support for blocking a vote in Congress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. 
 
But he told the rally in Portsmouth that &quot;our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratically controlled Senate, a Democratically controlled House and a Hillary Clinton presidency &ndash; and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen.&quot; 
 
Top Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a favorite of the party&#39;s liberal wing, have already announced their support for Clinton, leaving Sanders at risk of being left behind in the Democratic battle against Trump. 
 
&quot;I think all signs point to the fact that we&#39;re going to have a very united party going into Philadelphia,&quot; Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said on CNN earlier on Tuesday, &quot;and when you compare it to the Republicans, we&#39;re going to be miles ahead of them.&quot; 
 
Trump has struggled to unify the Republican Party after alienating many establishment figures with his stances on immigration, Muslims and women. A number of prominent Republicans are skipping the party&#39;s convention in Cleveland next week. 
 
In another sign of the Democrats&#39; growing unity, two prominent liberal groups that had backed Sanders, the Communications Workers of America labor union and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, announced their support for Clinton on Monday.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Says she is the best candidate to fix the country's problems and beat Donald Trump

Democrat Bernie Sanders endorsed former rival Hillary Clinton for president in a show of party unity on Tuesday, saying she was the best candidate to fix the country's problems and beat Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election. With Clinton nodding in agreement beside him, Sanders put their bitter primary campaign behind them and said Clinton would take up the fight to ease economic inequality, make college more affordable and expand healthcare coverage for all Americans. "This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face, and there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that," he told a raucous crowd in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that included plenty of vocal Sanders supporters. "I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States," the U.S. senator from Vermont said. His endorsement, coming five weeks after Clinton became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, brought the most prominent holdout in the party's liberal wing into Clinton's camp. Sanders threw his support to Clinton less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she is expected to be formally nominated. "I can't help but reflect on how much more enjoyable this election will be now that we are on the same side," Clinton said of Sanders. "Thank you Bernie for your endorsement, but more than that, thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice." In a statement, the Trump campaign said Sanders was now officially part of the rigged system he had criticized during the long primary battle with Clinton. "Bernie's endorsement becomes Exhibit A in our rigged system - the Democrat Party is disenfranchising its voters to benefit the select and privileged few," said Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump. Clinton hopes the joint appearance will help her win over Sanders supporters, some of whom carried Sanders signs into the rally and frequently drowned out her backers. In recent Reuters/Ipsos polling, only about 40 percent of Sanders backers said they would back Clinton, and the crowd at Tuesday's rally made it clear she still had work to do. "I am absolutely certain I will not vote for Hillary Clinton," said Gale Bailey, a Sanders supporter and an unemployed graphic designer from Rochester, New Hampshire, who attended the rally in a Sanders T-shirt. "She's a crook, and I'm not going to vote for a crook," Bailey said, adding that she would write in Sanders' name on the November ballot. Sanders victories on platform The appearance in Portsmouth concluded weeks of negotiations between the two camps as Sanders pressed for concessions from Clinton on his liberal policy agenda. It came after Clinton last week adopted elements of Sanders' plans for free in-state college tuition and expanded affordable healthcare coverage. Sanders also successfully pushed to include an array of liberal policy positions in the Democratic platform, which a committee approved on Saturday. Sanders did not win all of his policy fights, most notably failing to win support for blocking a vote in Congress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. But he told the rally in Portsmouth that "our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratically controlled Senate, a Democratically controlled House and a Hillary Clinton presidency – and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen." Top Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a favorite of the party's liberal wing, have already announced their support for Clinton, leaving Sanders at risk of being left behind in the Democratic battle against Trump. "I think all signs point to the fact that we're going to have a very united party going into Philadelphia," Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said on CNN earlier on Tuesday, "and when you compare it to the Republicans, we're going to be miles ahead of them." Trump has struggled to unify the Republican Party after alienating many establishment figures with his stances on immigration, Muslims and women. A number of prominent Republicans are skipping the party's convention in Cleveland next week. In another sign of the Democrats' growing unity, two prominent liberal groups that had backed Sanders, the Communications Workers of America labor union and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, announced their support for Clinton on Monday. (Reuters)

Sanders endorses Clinton in show of party unity

US President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail for the first time with presumptive Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clinton next Tuesday in North Carolina, her staff announced. 
 
&quot;In Charlotte, President Obama and Hillary Clinton will discuss building on the progress we&#39;ve made and their vision for an America that is stronger together,&quot; Clinton&#39;s campaign said in a statement. 
 
Their debut joint campaign appearance for the 2016 election had been scheduled for June 15 in the state of Wisconsin, but was postponed due to the massacre in Orlando, Florida - the worst mass shooting in US history. 
 
Obama came out and endorsed Clinton on June 9 after months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think there&#39;s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office,&quot; Obama said in a video message that day as he offered his full-throated endorsement of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m with her, I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary,&quot; added Obama, who won a brutal, months-long Democratic primary battle against Clinton in 2008. 
 
Their joint appearance comes with US Senator Bernie Sanders refusing to bow out of the race for the Democratic nomination, despite rival Clinton amassing the necessary number of delegates to clinch it outright at next month&#39;s party convention. 
 
Clinton, aiming to make history as the nation&#39;s first female commander in chief, is expected to square off against Republican billionaire businessman Donald Trump in November&#39;s general election. 
 
(AFP)

The two were scheduled to hit the campaign trail together June 15, but delayed because of the Orlando massacre

US President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail for the first time with presumptive Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clinton next Tuesday in North Carolina, her staff announced. "In Charlotte, President Obama and Hillary Clinton will discuss building on the progress we've made and their vision for an America that is stronger together," Clinton's campaign said in a statement. Their debut joint campaign appearance for the 2016 election had been scheduled for June 15 in the state of Wisconsin, but was postponed due to the massacre in Orlando, Florida - the worst mass shooting in US history. Obama came out and endorsed Clinton on June 9 after months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries. "I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office," Obama said in a video message that day as he offered his full-throated endorsement of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. "I'm with her, I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary," added Obama, who won a brutal, months-long Democratic primary battle against Clinton in 2008. Their joint appearance comes with US Senator Bernie Sanders refusing to bow out of the race for the Democratic nomination, despite rival Clinton amassing the necessary number of delegates to clinch it outright at next month's party convention. Clinton, aiming to make history as the nation's first female commander in chief, is expected to square off against Republican billionaire businessman Donald Trump in November's general election. (AFP)

Obama, Clinton to make first joint campaign stop next week: official

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said today he will vote for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. 
 
Asked if he would vote for Clinton in November, Sanders told MSNBC television: &ldquo;Yes. The issue right here is I&rsquo;m going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. I think Trump in so many ways would be a disaster if he were elected president.&rdquo;&nbsp; 
 
Clinton clinched the party nomination earlier in June to become the first woman in the 240-year history of the United States to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. While Sanders had said he would work with Clinton to defeat Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, he is yet to endorse Clinton and has kept his own election campaign alive. 
 
(Reuters)

'I am going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump,' he said

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said today he will vote for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Asked if he would vote for Clinton in November, Sanders told MSNBC television: “Yes. The issue right here is I’m going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. I think Trump in so many ways would be a disaster if he were elected president.” Clinton clinched the party nomination earlier in June to become the first woman in the 240-year history of the United States to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. While Sanders had said he would work with Clinton to defeat Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, he is yet to endorse Clinton and has kept his own election campaign alive. (Reuters)

Will vote for Clinton, says Bernie Sanders

Liberal White House hopeful Bernie Sanders declined to bow out of his race against Hillary Clinton on Thursday, declaring that his &quot;political revolution must continue&quot; and urging supporters to help reform the Democratic Party. 
 
He stressed that he was prepared to work with his rival in order to best presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. 
 
&quot;The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly,&quot; Sanders said in a webcast to supporters. 
 
&quot;And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time.&quot; 
 
Former secretary of state Clinton has for all intents and purposes won their at-times bitter battle for the Democratic nomination. 
 
Last week she clinched the number of delegates needed to become the party flagbearer next month at its national convention, and she shifted weeks ago to her likely showdown against Trump. 
 
The self-described democratic socialist Sanders urged his millions of backers to keep taking on the political establishment. 
 
&quot;We must continue our grassroots efforts to create the America that we know we can become. And we must take that energy into the Democratic National Convention on July 25 in Philadelphia,&quot; he said. 
 
The 74-year-old Vermont senator launched an idealistic, visionary presidential campaign last year, and he was given little hope of making a major impact. 
 
His grassroots movement caught fire with young and independent voters angered with the paralysis in Washington, swelling economic inequality, and what Sanders has long decried as a corrupt campaign finance system. 
 
&quot;We have begun the long and arduous process of transforming America, a fight that will continue tomorrow, next week, next year and into the future,&quot; Sanders said. 
 
And while he did not officially throw in the towel, he said he looked forward &quot;to working with Secretary Clinton to transform the Democratic Party so that it becomes a party of working people and young people, and not just wealthy campaign contributors,&quot; he said. 
 
Sanders highlighted his campaign&#39;s support for liberal priorities including the labor, civil rights, environmental, women&#39;s and gay movements. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s what the political revolution is about and that&#39;s why the political revolution must continue into the future,&quot; he said. 
 
For the past year Sanders has pressed for ending wealth and income inequality, reforming the criminal justice system, expanding health care and family leave, and raising the minimum wage. 
 
While acknowledging the &quot;strong disagreements&quot; he had with Clinton, he also did not hesitate to criticize the party in general for not competing in states that are seen as Republican territory, and called for a &quot;new generation&quot; of Democratic politicians. 
 
&quot;Sadly, the current Democratic Party leadership has turned its back on dozens of states in this country and has allowed right-wing politicians to win elections in some states with virtually no opposition, including some of the poorest states in America.&quot;

The major task they face, he said, is to beat Trump

Liberal White House hopeful Bernie Sanders declined to bow out of his race against Hillary Clinton on Thursday, declaring that his "political revolution must continue" and urging supporters to help reform the Democratic Party. He stressed that he was prepared to work with his rival in order to best presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. "The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly," Sanders said in a webcast to supporters. "And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time." Former secretary of state Clinton has for all intents and purposes won their at-times bitter battle for the Democratic nomination. Last week she clinched the number of delegates needed to become the party flagbearer next month at its national convention, and she shifted weeks ago to her likely showdown against Trump. The self-described democratic socialist Sanders urged his millions of backers to keep taking on the political establishment. "We must continue our grassroots efforts to create the America that we know we can become. And we must take that energy into the Democratic National Convention on July 25 in Philadelphia," he said. The 74-year-old Vermont senator launched an idealistic, visionary presidential campaign last year, and he was given little hope of making a major impact. His grassroots movement caught fire with young and independent voters angered with the paralysis in Washington, swelling economic inequality, and what Sanders has long decried as a corrupt campaign finance system. "We have begun the long and arduous process of transforming America, a fight that will continue tomorrow, next week, next year and into the future," Sanders said. And while he did not officially throw in the towel, he said he looked forward "to working with Secretary Clinton to transform the Democratic Party so that it becomes a party of working people and young people, and not just wealthy campaign contributors," he said. Sanders highlighted his campaign's support for liberal priorities including the labor, civil rights, environmental, women's and gay movements. "That's what the political revolution is about and that's why the political revolution must continue into the future," he said. For the past year Sanders has pressed for ending wealth and income inequality, reforming the criminal justice system, expanding health care and family leave, and raising the minimum wage. While acknowledging the "strong disagreements" he had with Clinton, he also did not hesitate to criticize the party in general for not competing in states that are seen as Republican territory, and called for a "new generation" of Democratic politicians. "Sadly, the current Democratic Party leadership has turned its back on dozens of states in this country and has allowed right-wing politicians to win elections in some states with virtually no opposition, including some of the poorest states in America."

Sanders refuses to bow out of race with Clinton but says he is willing to work with her

Hillary Clinton declared herself the Democratic Party nominee for US&nbsp;president&nbsp;today,&nbsp;embracing her role in history as the first woman to lead a major party in a race for the White House. 
 
The former first lady, US&nbsp;senator and secretary of state,&nbsp;celebrated her victory in the nominating race over rival Bernie Sanders after winning the states of New Mexico, South Dakota and New Jersey&nbsp;at an&nbsp;event &nbsp;in Brooklyn, New York. She&nbsp;placed her achievement in the context of the long history of the women&#39;s rights movement. 
 
&quot;Thanks to you, we have reached a milestone,&quot; Clinton said. &quot;We all owe so much to who came before.&quot; 
 
Clinton, 68, spoke shortly after beating Sanders in New Jersey&#39;s nominating contest, expanding her lead in the delegates needed to clinch the nomination and setting up a five-month general election campaign against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November&nbsp;8 election. 
 
New Jersey was one of six states holding contests on Tuesday, including California, the big prize where Clinton was still at risk of an embarrassing loss to Sanders as she heads into the campaign against Trump. 
 
With about one-third of the votes counted in California, Clinton held a wide 20-percentage-point lead over Sanders, but news networks said the race was still too close to call. 
 
In her speech, Clinton appealed to Sanders supporters to join her and said the Democratic Party had been bolstered by his campaign for eradicating income inequality, which has commanded huge crowds and galvanized younger voters. 
 
Clinton edged Sanders out, especially among older voters, with a more pragmatic campaign focused on building on the policies of her fellow Democrat, President Barack Obama. 
 
But Sanders showed no interest in ending his upstart candidacy, telling cheering supporters in California that he would go on campaigning through next Tuesday&#39;s primary in the District of Columbia and carry his political crusade - although not necessarily his campaign - to the convention in July. 
 
&quot;We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington DC,&quot; he said. &quot;And then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.&quot; 
 
The White House issued a statement saying Obama had called both Clinton and Sanders. It said he congratulated her on securing the delegates necessary to clinch the nomination and would meet Sanders on Thursday on&nbsp;Sanders&#39; request. 
 
TRUMP &#39;TEMPERAMENTALLY UNFIT&#39; 
 
In her speech, Clinton harshly attacked Trump for using divisive rhetoric that belittled women, Muslims and immigrants, and took specific aim at his recent condemnation of an Indiana-born judge of Mexican heritage. 
 
&quot;The stakes in this election are high and the choice is clear. Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be the president and commander-in-chief,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;When Donald Trump says a distinguished judge born in Indiana can&rsquo;t do his job because of his Mexican heritage, or he mocks a reporter with disabilities, or calls women pigs, it goes against everything we stand for,&quot; she said. 
 
Sanders, 74, won in North Dakota and Montana on the final night of big presidential nominating battles that began on Feb. 1 in Iowa. The District of Columbia will be the last next Tuesday. 
 
In a fundraising email to supporters, Clinton declared her campaign had broken &ldquo;one of the highest, hardest glass ceilings.&rdquo; 
 
On Twitter, she said: &quot;To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want - even president. Tonight is for you.&quot; 
 
Clinton&#39;s race against Trump, 69, will unfold amid an ongoing investigation of her use of a personal email server while secretary of state. Opinion polls show the controversy has hurt Clinton&#39;s ratings on honesty and trustworthiness. 
 
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed Clinton leads Trump by 10 percentage points nationally as they launch their general election battle, little changed from a week ago. 
 
PARTY UNITY 
 
Clinton now must try to unify the party and win over Sanders supporters, who booed lustily in California when Sanders congratulated her on her victories on Tuesday. 
 
A Sanders campaign spokesman castigated what he said was the media&#39;s &quot;rush to judgment&quot; after the Associated Press and NBC reported on Monday night that Clinton had clinched the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. 
 
Clinton&#39;s victories on Tuesday ensured she will have a lead in the pledged delegates won in nominating contests. Clinton clinched the nomination with the added support of superdelegates, party leaders who are free to back any candidate. 
 
Steven Acosta, a 47-year-old teacher living in Los Angeles, voted for Clinton, saying that was partly because he believed she stood a better chance of winning in November. 
 
&quot;I like what Bernie Sanders says and I agree with almost everything that he says,&quot; Acosta said. &quot;The problem is that I think Republicans would really unify ... even more against him.&quot; 
 
Trump, who became his party&#39;s presumptive nominee last month, outlasting 16 Republican challengers, is struggling to get the party&#39;s leaders solidly behind him after a bitter primary campaign during which he made a series of controversial statements directed at Muslims, Latinos, women and the disabled. 
 
On Tuesday night,&nbsp;he addressed a crowd of supporters in New York, welcoming Sanders supporters &quot;with open arms&quot; should they decide to support him and declaring a new phase of the campaign had begun. 
 
&quot;I am going to give a major speech on probably Monday of next week, and we are going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons,&quot; he said. &quot;I think you are going to find it very informative and very, very interesting. I wonder if the press will want to attend.&quot;

Hilary Clinton took the states of New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico before declaring victory over her party rival Bernie Sanders, who won North Dakota and Montana

Hillary Clinton declared herself the Democratic Party nominee for US president today, embracing her role in history as the first woman to lead a major party in a race for the White House. The former first lady, US senator and secretary of state, celebrated her victory in the nominating race over rival Bernie Sanders after winning the states of New Mexico, South Dakota and New Jersey at an event in Brooklyn, New York. She placed her achievement in the context of the long history of the women's rights movement. "Thanks to you, we have reached a milestone," Clinton said. "We all owe so much to who came before." Clinton, 68, spoke shortly after beating Sanders in New Jersey's nominating contest, expanding her lead in the delegates needed to clinch the nomination and setting up a five-month general election campaign against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November 8 election. New Jersey was one of six states holding contests on Tuesday, including California, the big prize where Clinton was still at risk of an embarrassing loss to Sanders as she heads into the campaign against Trump. With about one-third of the votes counted in California, Clinton held a wide 20-percentage-point lead over Sanders, but news networks said the race was still too close to call. In her speech, Clinton appealed to Sanders supporters to join her and said the Democratic Party had been bolstered by his campaign for eradicating income inequality, which has commanded huge crowds and galvanized younger voters. Clinton edged Sanders out, especially among older voters, with a more pragmatic campaign focused on building on the policies of her fellow Democrat, President Barack Obama. But Sanders showed no interest in ending his upstart candidacy, telling cheering supporters in California that he would go on campaigning through next Tuesday's primary in the District of Columbia and carry his political crusade - although not necessarily his campaign - to the convention in July. "We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington DC," he said. "And then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." The White House issued a statement saying Obama had called both Clinton and Sanders. It said he congratulated her on securing the delegates necessary to clinch the nomination and would meet Sanders on Thursday on Sanders' request. TRUMP 'TEMPERAMENTALLY UNFIT' In her speech, Clinton harshly attacked Trump for using divisive rhetoric that belittled women, Muslims and immigrants, and took specific aim at his recent condemnation of an Indiana-born judge of Mexican heritage. "The stakes in this election are high and the choice is clear. Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be the president and commander-in-chief," she said. "When Donald Trump says a distinguished judge born in Indiana can’t do his job because of his Mexican heritage, or he mocks a reporter with disabilities, or calls women pigs, it goes against everything we stand for," she said. Sanders, 74, won in North Dakota and Montana on the final night of big presidential nominating battles that began on Feb. 1 in Iowa. The District of Columbia will be the last next Tuesday. In a fundraising email to supporters, Clinton declared her campaign had broken “one of the highest, hardest glass ceilings.” On Twitter, she said: "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want - even president. Tonight is for you." Clinton's race against Trump, 69, will unfold amid an ongoing investigation of her use of a personal email server while secretary of state. Opinion polls show the controversy has hurt Clinton's ratings on honesty and trustworthiness. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed Clinton leads Trump by 10 percentage points nationally as they launch their general election battle, little changed from a week ago. PARTY UNITY Clinton now must try to unify the party and win over Sanders supporters, who booed lustily in California when Sanders congratulated her on her victories on Tuesday. A Sanders campaign spokesman castigated what he said was the media's "rush to judgment" after the Associated Press and NBC reported on Monday night that Clinton had clinched the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. Clinton's victories on Tuesday ensured she will have a lead in the pledged delegates won in nominating contests. Clinton clinched the nomination with the added support of superdelegates, party leaders who are free to back any candidate. Steven Acosta, a 47-year-old teacher living in Los Angeles, voted for Clinton, saying that was partly because he believed she stood a better chance of winning in November. "I like what Bernie Sanders says and I agree with almost everything that he says," Acosta said. "The problem is that I think Republicans would really unify ... even more against him." Trump, who became his party's presumptive nominee last month, outlasting 16 Republican challengers, is struggling to get the party's leaders solidly behind him after a bitter primary campaign during which he made a series of controversial statements directed at Muslims, Latinos, women and the disabled. On Tuesday night, he addressed a crowd of supporters in New York, welcoming Sanders supporters "with open arms" should they decide to support him and declaring a new phase of the campaign had begun. "I am going to give a major speech on probably Monday of next week, and we are going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons," he said. "I think you are going to find it very informative and very, very interesting. I wonder if the press will want to attend."

Clinton hails a milestone, clinches Democratic nomination

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