In a piece published in the Hill, Bill Press wrote:
Yes, miracles can happen in politics. If Bernie Sanders wins the state of California, and if enough superdelegates have second thoughts about presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and start switching their votes, the Vermont senator could still end up the Democratic Party’s nominee. But whether that happens or not, whether he wins or loses the party’s crown, Sanders is already the winner of 2016 on several fronts.
Indeed, the big story about Sanders is not how big he loses to Clinton, but how close he came to winning and how amazingly well he performed as a candidate. Consider: In less than a year, the maverick outsider went from being dismissed as a protest candidate to a phenomenal, national superstar who almost upset the powerful and deeply entrenched Clinton political machine and changed American politics forever.
The numbers alone are impressive. Even before Tuesday’s six primaries, in New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, North and South Dakota, and California, Sanders had won 20 state contests, received more than 10.2 million votes and collected pledges from 1,566 delegates, according to The Associated Press — more than enough to earn him the right to take his campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention in July. In 1976, Jerry Brown carried his challenge to Jimmy Carter onto the convention floor with only 301 delegates.
