June 07, 2016 10:49 AM UTC

Hillary Clinches Ahead of California Primary

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• by: Colorado Pols

CNN, not really news at this point but the math is settled:

Hillary Clinton clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Monday, according to CNN’s delegate and superdelegate count, and will become the first woman in the 240-year history of the United States to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.

A strong showing in Puerto Rico’s Democratic primary on Sunday and additional support from superdelegates put Clinton, 68, over the top to become the presumptive nominee. She has secured 1,812 pledged delegates and 572 superdelegates for a total of 2,384 delegates — one more than needed for the nomination.

Clinton’s delegate count will grow Tuesday when six states, including delegate-rich California and New Jersey, hold contests. Speaking in Long Beach, California, on Monday, Clinton said she was still focused on the states where voters head to the polls Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton’s erstwhile Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders, who waged a spirited grassroots campaign that veered a little off the rails as their fleeting chance at victory withered away some number of states ago, has vowed to campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention. Whether or not that promise survives the reality of Clinton’s inevitable nomination–especially if she performs well in today’s primaries–remains to be seen.

But at this point, Sanders and the considerable grassroots movement he built needs to shift gears away from statements and behavior that helps Donald Trump. Their ability to do that, or not, will define the Democratic Party’s internal struggle well beyond the present election. It will also prove the Sanders movement’s ability to stay engaged–or whether it will spin off into another self-absorbed sideshow like others that preceded it.

And it’s Clinton vs. Trump in November, folks. Let the battle royale begin.