There were some boos at the Bernie Sanders supporters’ primary watch party as the projections showed Hillary Clinton winning the Democratic primary in New York state.
Joanna Radzimowski of Syracuse said she is disappointed with the Sanders defeat.
“I have hope that the rest of America is going to see the light and understand that Bernie is really the best candidate for us, for our future," Radzimowski said. "He started a revolution and it is not ending with this.”
But Radzimowski said she would support Hillary Clinton if she wins the Democratic nomination.
While Clinton won statewide with 58% of the vote, upstate New York actually ended up being friendlier to Sanders than Clinton. According to unofficial New York State primary election results, Sanders won every upstate county, except for three. Onondaga County was one of them, giving Clinton a win by six points.
At the Clinton watch party, Syracuse Democratic Party Chair Tim Carroll thinks there were a couple of reasons Clinton won Onondaga County.
"The Clinton’s connections, the mayor’s support and her operation jumping into the fray; that could make a difference where it wouldn’t make a difference in the other counties all surrounding us,” said Carroll.
Carroll credits Mayor Stephanie Miner’s political operation for doing much of the get-out-the-vote work in this race.
And at the Sanders watch party at a restaurant in the Wescott neighborhood of Syracuse, supporters say Sanders should stick it out and stay in the race.
Michael Hammond of Syracuse is an independent voter who could not vote for Sanders in the primary but is a supporter who said Sanders speaks for him.
“I think that time is his advantage, not hers," Hammond said. "I think it’s worth drawing it out, worth getting the real discussion to the table. He’s said things that no candidate has ever said.”
Hammond said he thinks Sanders would have won if it were a more open primary system in New York state, where independents could vote.
