US election 2016: Puerto Rico puts Hillary Clinton within reach of Democratic nomination

Residents of the Caribbean island can vote in presidential primaries but not in November's general election

Hillary Clinton campaigns in Califonrnia, just a few steps from the Democratic presidential nomination (Reuters)

Hillary Clinton edged ever nearer to the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday night, winning the party’s primary in Puerto Rico with a projected 60 per cent or more of the vote. The result puts her within 30 delegates of the 2,383 needed to claim the nomination, according to an Associated Press tally. Residents of Puerto Rico, a US territory, can vote in presidential primaries but cannot take part in the November general election.

Both Ms Clinton and her progressive rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have been campaigning hard in California, where polls put them in a dead heat ahead of Tuesday’s primary. The Golden State’s delegates are distributed proportionately, meaning a marginal victory by either candidate would do little to change the shape of the race – though a Sanders win would be a blow to the Clinton campaign’s morale.

Five other states are also holding Democratic primaries on Tuesday, the last major day of primary season – New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico and the Dakotas – with a total of 694 delegates in play. Ms Clinton, who has won almost three million more votes than Mr Sanders, is expected to reach the 2,383 threshold when the polls close in New Jersey at 8pm Eastern Time on Tuesday.

However, Mr Sanders has pointed out that her delegate total relies on those super-delegates who have offered Ms Clinton their support, but who do not actually cast their votes until the Democratic convention in Philadelphia in July. The Vermont Senator has vowed to try to convert them to his cause before then, telling reporters: “The Democratic National Convention will be a contested convention.”