Moments after the New Hampshire Democratic primary was called for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) by the major networks, Hillary Clinton’s campaign blasted out a three-page memo penned by campaign manager Robby Mook stressing the importance of the primaries that come after the first four in February.
“The reason is simple: while important, the first four states represent just 4% of the delegates needed to secure the nomination; the 28 states that vote (or caucus) in March will award 56% of the delegates needed to win,” the memo said.
In addition to the delegate math, the memo argued that “the March states better reflect the true diversity of the Democratic Party and the nation.”
Ultimately, it promised that, come the March primaries, “Hillary Clinton is well positioned to build a strong – potentially insurmountable – delegate lead next month.”
To buttress that point, the memo pointed to her “high levels of support in the African American and Hispanic communities,” which the memo said was rooted in her past advocacy for minorities on issues like criminal justice and immigration. It also touted the campaign’s ground game, which the memo said is using a “data-driven approach” to capitalize on the delegate apportionment in March primary states.
While it’s typical to see campaigns poised to spin defeats in primaries — especially defeats as expected as Clinton’s in New Hampshire — the lengthy and detailed memo is seeking to counter the narrative that Sanders was gaining momentum after his win in New Hampshire and razor-thin loss in Iowa.
Read the full memo below:
