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[StephanieVanbryce]

Clinton tightens grip on New York

On Hillary Clinton's home turf, there are few signs that Bernie Sanders is poised for a major upset next week.

By Annie Karni
04/15/16 03:20 PM EDT

NEW YORK — Bernie Sanders took the fight to Hillary Clinton Thursday night in Brooklyn, questioning her judgment, and even putting her on the defensive at times on contentious issues that have recently dominated the debate in New York, like fracking and raising the minimum wage.

But he needed a knockout punch ahead of Tuesday’s critical Democratic primary and there were few signs the Navy Yard shout-fest Thursday night shook up what is a static race here, or expanded his appeal beyond his loyal and fired-up base.

In other states where Sanders has been successful, he managed to gradually cut down Clinton’s wide margins in the polls in the weeks leading up to the nominating contests, often turning her comfy double-digit leads into narrow nail-biters. But in New York, despite Sanders’ ability to draw tens of thousands of young supporters to his outdoor rallies, Clinton has held a consistent double-digit lead in her adopted home state — and a new Marist poll out Friday morning showed Clinton widening her lead here to 17 points.

Clinton allies attribute Sanders’ inability to move the dial here so far — even after a string of momentum-building primary and caucus victories — to a confluence of factors including the Clintons’ deep ties to their adopted home state; her strong backing from progressive leaders here; a closed primary system that does not allow independents to vote; and Sanders’ consistent inability to break through with communities of color. The Vermont senator’s own missteps, and his miscalculation of the power of the New York media, only compounded his predicament.

One asset has been Bill Clinton, whose sky-high favorability ratings across the state, relentless campaigning for congressional candidates in off-year elections and continued involvement in local politics made him a powerful surrogate. In the days leading up to the primary, the former president has worked harder here than anywhere else, huddling privately with labor leaders and ministers and sometimes packing his schedule with up to five public events a day across different boroughs.

But perhaps more than anything, Sanders' attack strategy appeared ill-fitted for the New York electorate. Fighting from behind, Sanders ramped up his attacks, claiming that Hillary Clinton was not “qualified” to occupy the Oval Office, a message that failed to resonate with voters who twice elected Clinton to the Senate. On Thursday night, Clinton used that history as her defense. “The people of New York voted for me twice to be their senator from New York, and President Obama trusted my judgment enough to ask me to be secretary of state for the United States,” she said.

Sanders’ missteps in a sit-down with the New York Daily News editorial board also proved costly — the transcript of his meeting with the hometown newspaper showed him unable to explain in detail the core principles of his plan to break up the big banks. The tabloid also took him to task for basic New York gaffes that reminded voters how long it’s been since the Brooklyn-born pol enjoyed real ties to the city — Sanders guessed New Yorkers still use a token to board the subway, an outdated payment system phased out 13 years ago.

Clinton officials express confidence they’ll win on Tuesday, an outcome that could allow the Democratic front-runner to return to the general election pivot she was hoping to perform last month. “Under the spotlight and tough questions, he doesn’t seem to be holding up well,” said Clinton’s chief strategist Joel Benenson, suggesting Sanders has cracked under the pressure of New York’s pivotal primary.

There's much more .. but for me it's enough! .. ;)
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/clinton-sanders-new-york-222032