March 5, 2016 (2016-03-05) 2020 → 2,226 1,231 | 16 9 64.17% 35.49% | |
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The 2016 Maine Democratic caucuses took place on March 6 in the U.S. state of Maine as one of the Democratic Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
While on the same day, the Democratic Party didn't hold any other primary, the Republican Party held its Puerto Rico primary the same day.
Analysis
Bernie Sanders scored a large two-to-one victory in Maine, thanks to support from a whiter electorate in a caucus contest (which favored Sanders) and one with no love for Hillary Clinton (Barack Obama had likewise beaten Clinton in the Maine caucuses eight years prior). Sanders won in the cities of Portland and Bangor quite comfortably, but his particular strength was in rural areas outside of the cities where he ran up big margins.
Sanders's landslide Maine victory limited Clinton's success in New England to a slim victory in Massachusetts, but she would later go on to claim Connecticut as well in the 'Acela' Primaries on April 26.
Following his victory in the caucus, Sanders told supporters: "With another double-digit victory, we have now won by wide margins in states from New England to the Rocky Mountains and from the Midwest to the Great Plains [...] The pundits might not like it but the people are making history. We now have the momentum to go all the way to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.”