Bernie Sanders projected to win Wisconsin

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reportedly just locked up a big win in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary.

Multiple outlets projected soon after polls closed that Sanders would defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Badger State.

Sanders thanked Wisconsin voters in a victory speech from his Laramie, Wyoming, campaign headquarters in that state, during which he homed in on the momentum he claimed to be building. 

He won six of the past seven states, but Clinton still holds a large delegate lead and remains the clear frontrunner for the party's nomination.

Sanders win was somewhat expected. Entering the Wisconsin vote, the Vermont senator held a nearly three-point lead over Clinton in the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls.

Still, looking back on where Sanders stood in statewide polls last fall, he did mount a large comeback over the course of the race. In late September, Clinton held a 12-point lead on Sanders in the Marquette Law School poll, for example.

Next up for the Democrats are the Wyoming caucuses, which will be held on Saturday. The next traditional primary state, New York, votes on April 19.

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