Clinton Reaches Delegates Needed for Nomination — But Sanders Camp Says Superdelegates Aren't Enough

Hillary Clinton has reached 2,383 delegates — the number she needs to become her party's nominee for the 2016 presidential race.

The former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state under President Barack Obama would become the first woman nominee of a major U.S. political party. An Associated Press count of pledged delegates in primaries and caucuses this year, as well as her superdelegate support, showed tonight that she had reached the required 2,383 to become the presumptive nominee.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrates victory in the New York state primary on April 19, 2016 in New York City. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

But a spokesman for her challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, pointed out Monday that Clinton hasn't won the Democratic primary yet. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said Monday that the current number depends on superdelegates instead of pledged delegates — and therefore isn't an official victory for Clinton.

“It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgement, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee’s clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer," he said in a statement.

Briggs signaled that the Sanders campaign will do what it can to change the minds of superdelegates before the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia in July.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks during a campaign rally at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, May 5, 2016 in San Diego. (AP/Sandy Huffaker)

“Secretary Clinton does not have and will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to secure the nomination," he said. "She will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until July 25 and who can change their minds between now and then. They include more than 400 superdelegates who endorsed Secretary Clinton 10 months before the first caucuses and primaries and long before any other candidate was in the race.

“Our job from now until the convention is to convince those superdelegates that Bernie is by far the strongest candidate against Donald Trump.”

The Clinton campaign refused to take a victory lap Monday. Clinton tweeted that they're "flattered," but added that she's focused on the primaries tomorrow, including in California.

In another tweet, Clinton said, "we are on the brink of a historic moment, but we still have work to do."

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