In New York, Clinton Ends Sanders' Streak

The momentum Bernie Sanders had claimed after seven straight wins has been blunted in New York.

Taking 58 percent of the vote, New Yorkers sided with Hillary Clinton, who served two terms as senator in the state and built a deep well of support there. She led in every poll heading into election day, often by double digits. But Sanders drew enormous crowds while campaigning, with 27,000 people showing for a rally in Brooklyn's Prospect Park this weekend, and another 24,000 in Washington Square before that, according to his campaign. At the Washington Square rally, Sanders praised the rioters of 47 years ago at the nearby Stonewall Inn, saying they were evidence of a political movement making a difference in the world. And Clinton competed aggressively for LGBT votes in the state, distributing pamphlets about her positions on issues of equality, plus advertising on LGBT websites (including this one).

"Today, you approved once again, there's no place like home," Clinton said in her victory speech in New York City. "In this campaign, we've won in every region of the country... but this one's personal."

Beaming, Clinton called for a continuation of President Obama's progressive agenda and blased the "divisive" and "dangerous" proposals of the Republican nominees.

"We're going to defend our rights -- civil rights, voting rights, workers' rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, and rights for people with disabilities," Clinton said.

With both campaigns predicting wins in the state and 247 delegates at stake, the primary quickly became more contentious than any of the contests before it.

Sanders accused Clinton of being unqualified, a charge he said the former secretary of State had first lobbed at him, although without using the exact word. The apparent disagreement over whether each was qualified quickly settled, though, with the candidates conceding their opponent had the experience to become president.

Sanders instead focused on attacking Clinton over her judgment, for voting in favor of the Iraq war, for accepting contributions from Wall Street, and more.

Those disagreements were all on display in a CNN debate last week that was more combative than usual. Sanders said Clinton had used a "racist" code word back in the '90s when she backed the crime bill by decrying "super-predators," a word Black Lives Matter protesters have reminded her of in protests at events. Former president Bill Clinton shouted down a protestor just as the primary campaign was kicking off, setting off renewed discussion about the word and the effects of the crime bill passed during his administration.

Clinton called Sanders out for saying gun manufacturers shouldn't be liable in shootings like the 2012 school massacre in Newtown, Conn. Sanders inadvertently renewed that debate after an interview with the New York Daily News editorial board, where he was asked about Newtown and for details about how to break up the big banks; his lack of specifics on the latter issue was roundly criticized.

With Clinton saying Sanders lacked the ability to follow through on his campaign promises, Saturday Night Live made fun of Sanders for his supposed "yada, yada, yada" approach to policy making.

The two even competed for who could rightfully call themselves the home state candidate -- Sanders was born in Brooklyn but now lives in Vermont, while New York is Clinton's adopted home. Sanders mistakenly said people used tokens to get on the subway, and then Clinton took a ride for the cameras only to get stuck repeatedly swiping her Metro card at the turnstile.

With Clinton's win, Sanders's chances of clinching the nomination now appear razor thin.