Clinton to Make History as Democratic Presidential Nominee

Washington, D.C.  Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is making history as the first woman to be the presumed nominee for president of one of the country's two major political parties.

Hillary Clinton. Photo: Flickr/Gage Skidmore.

She will not be formally named the Democratic Party candidate until its convention next month, but she has clinched the majority 2,383 delegates needed to defeat Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

John Hudak, deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institute, told VOA the significance of the moment may be initially lost given that Clinton was already well known and came into the race as the favorite.

"It’s ironic that the moment in history where a woman becomes the nominee is almost seen as what was supposed to happen.  That said, I think as she starts to work harder toward the general election campaign she’s going to talk more clearly and in a more focused way about the historic nature of her candidacy," he said.

Clinton expressed caution Monday night, saying that while media delegate counts show her at the edge of an "unprecedented moment," there are six states holding contests Tuesday and she is fighting hard for every vote.

Tuesday is the last major day in the primary process with nearly all of the 851 remaining delegates at stake.  Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook said her team is looking forward to clinching a majority in pledged delegates and the popular vote.

Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs issued a statement saying the media was rushing to crown Clinton early, and that she can only claim a majority if one counts the hundreds of so-called superdelegates who are now backing Clinton but are free to change their minds before the convention.