Clinton talks Bernie, superdelegates, and making history
COMPTON -- The day before she is expected to clinch the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton highlighted the historic nature of her candidacy.
"My supporters are passionate. They are committed. They have voted for me in great numbers across our country for many reasons, but among those reasons is their belief that having a woman president will make a great statement, a historic statement, about what kind of country we are, what we stand for," Clinton said.
Clinton, speaking to reporters covering a campaign stop at a community center in Compton on Monday morning, said that it's "emotional" for her to consider being the first woman to be nominated by a major party to sit in the Oval Office.
"Men bring their daughters to meet me and tell me that they are supporting me because of their daughters and I do think it will make a very big difference for a father or a mother to be able to look at their daughter, just like they can look at their son, and say, you can be anything you want to be in this country, including president of the United States," she said.
Clinton insisted, however, that her "singular focus" was on getting voters in California, New Jersey and other states to cast their votes in their primary elections on Tuesday. The race is tight in California, where a CBS News poll released Sunday showed Bernie Sanders behind Clinton by two points. Clinton, who won contests in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend, has a more comfortable lead in New Jersey.
"I want everyone in the states that vote tomorrow to come out and vote and bring their families and their friends and everybody else," she said. "It's not over until it's over."
Tuesday also marks 8 years since Clinton conceded to then-Sen. Barack Obama during her first presidential run, but she would not say that Sanders should do the same for her, should she clinch the nomination. She emphasized the need to present a united front against the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
"Anyone who supported me, anyone who has supported Sen. Sanders has a lot at stake in this election in preventing Donald Trump from being our president," she said, adding: "which I can barely say."
Sanders, who is relying on a win to California to give his campaign a new burst of momentum, has maintained that the Democratic convention will be contested and that, with the support of superdelegates, he has a chance to win the nomination.
"I believe as of tomorrow, I will have more than 3 million votes more than Bernie Sanders," Clinton said, asked about the role of superdelegates. "I will have a substantial lead in pledged delegates. Superdelegates have always followed the will of the voters. I expect them to do the same this time."
The New York Times reported Monday that President Obama may endorse Clinton as early as this week. Clinton, who said it's "up to the president" to choose if and when he endorses, said her campaign would be sketching out "in the next days" what role her 2008 rival might play in her campaign.
"Obviously, I'm excited about having the President's support because I have said throughout this campaign, I was honored to serve in the President's cabinet as his Secretary of State," she said. "I look forward to campaigning with the President and everyone else because...I think that Donald Trump is unqualified to be President."