Bernie Sanders’s youth appeal forces Hillary Clinton to keep on spending

Mr Sanders’s brand of democratic socialism had found broad appeal among young voters

Bernie Sanders has received contributions from a record five million voters (EPA)

Bernie Sanders’s path to the Democratic nomination may be narrowing, but his record fundraising shows no sign of slowing down, ensuring that the long-shot rival to Hillary Clinton can remain in the race for months to come.

The Vermont Senator’s unique success at attracting political money, combined with his powerful appeal to young voters, means he will be able to keep raising and spending millions of dollars across the country – forcing Ms Clinton to spend, too, and potentially allowing him to score enough victories to drag out the nominating contest and delay what is widely seen as Ms Clinton’s inevitable selection as the Democratic candidate.

Mr Sanders has collected his five millionth individual contribution – a record-breaking figure and more than double the number of donations that Ms Clinton has received. Yet she holds a formidable lead over Mr Sanders in delegates, and her campaign argues that it will be next to impossible for him to catch up.

Mr Sanders’s brand of democratic socialism had found broad appeal among young voters, and it is that sense of outsider grievance that most threatens Ms Clinton and is forcing her to spend money and political capital, even in such states as Michigan, which votes on Tuesday and where she has held a comfortable lead.

© The Washington Post