CNN, NBC, and the AP are all projecting that Clinton has won the Mississippi Democratic primary. Clinton has also won the South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia contests.
According to CNN, Clinton won Mississippi with 86 percent of the black vote, which is typical of her performance throughout this election cycle. (That said, it’s also worth noting that she beat Sanders handily with white voters, as she did in Alabama.) While Sanders has challenged Clinton in states in which the electorate is largely made up of white voters, he’s struggled in more diverse states, and does not seem to be attracting more black and Latino voters as the race continues. Michigan is a much whiter state than Mississippi, and Sanders is hoping that his populist economic message will connect in the state. With one percent of the vote reporting as of 8:12pm, Sanders has a small lead over Clinton in Michigan.
Clinton’s commanding win in Mississippi is important for Clinton not just because it pads her delegate lead, but because it will be a counterargument to any talk of “momentum,” should Sanders narrowly win Michigan.