2016 Rhode Island Democratic presidential primary
The 2016 Rhode Island Democratic presidential primary were held on April 26 in the U.S. state of Rhode Island as one of the Democratic Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
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Bernie Sanders
Hillary Clinton | |||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Rhode Island |
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The Democratic Party's primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania were held the same day, as were Republican primaries in the same five states, including their own Rhode Island primary.
Opinion polling
| Poll source | Date | 1st | 2nd | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Primary results | April 26, 2016 | Bernie Sanders 54.7% |
Hillary Clinton 43.1% |
Others / Uncommitted 2.2% |
| Public Policy Polling[2]
Margin of error: ± 3.8%
|
April 22–24, 2016 | Bernie Sanders 49% |
Hillary Clinton 45% |
Others / Undecided 6% |
| Brown University[3]
Margin of error: ± 4.0%
|
April 19–21, 2016 | Hillary Clinton 43% |
Bernie Sanders 34% |
Others / Undecided 23% |
| Brown University[4]
Margin of error: ± ?%
|
February 22–23, 2016 | Hillary Clinton 49% |
Bernie Sanders 40% |
Others / Undecided 11% |
| Brown University[4]
Margin of error: ± ?%
|
February 17–20, 2016 | Bernie Sanders 48% |
Hillary Clinton 41% |
Others / Undecided 11% |
Results
| Rhode Island Democratic primary, April 26, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Popular vote | Estimated delegates | |||
| Count | Percentage | Pledged | Unpledged | Total | |
| Bernie Sanders | 66,993 | 54.71% | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Hillary Clinton | 52,749 | 43.08% | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| Mark Stewart | 236 | 0.19% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rocky De La Fuente | 145 | 0.12% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Write-in | 673 | 0.55% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Uncommitted | 1,662 | 1.36% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 122,458 | 100% | 24 | 9 | 33 |
| Source: The Green Papers, Rhode Island Board of Elections and Rhode Island Democratic Party - Official Pledged Delegates Allocation | |||||
Results by county
| County[5] | Clinton | Votes | Sanders | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 47.3% | 3,210 | 51.6% | 3,507 |
| Kent | 40.0% | 7,162 | 58.1% | 10,404 |
| Newport | 42.5% | 4,433 | 56.4% | 5,891 |
| Providence | 44.6% | 29,158 | 53.6% | 35,019 |
| Washington | 37.9% | 6,136 | 60.8% | 9,858 |
| Total | 43.1% | 52,749 | 54.7% | 66,993 |
Analysis
With its socially liberal coalition of mostly white Irish Catholic/Portuguese Catholic/Italian Catholic voters, Rhode Island was seen as Bernie Sanders's best chance at victory in the so-called "Acela Primaries" on April 26. He pulled out a commanding, 11-point win in the Ocean State on election day. He carried all municipalities but four, winning in the major cities of Providence and Warwick.
Sanders' Rhode Island win limited Clinton's success in New England to slimmer victories in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
References
- Rhode Island Board of Elections
- "Clinton, Sanders close in CT/PA/RI; Trump Headed for Big Wins" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- "Taubman Center poll: Clinton, Trump lead in Rhode Island, but many voters undecided". Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- "Statewide Presidential primary poll: Trump strong, Clinton rising". Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- "Rhode Island Election Results 2016: President Live Map by County, Real-Time Voting Updates - POLITICO".