Sanders wins West Virginia primary, extending Democratic race

Senator Bernie Sanders won the West Virginia Democratic primary on Tuesday, bolstering his argument for staying in the presidential race despite rival Hillary Clinton's substantial lead in delegates.

Sanders, a leftwing US senator from Vermont, was ahead with 52 percent of the vote compared to 36 percent for the former secretary of state, with 96 percent of precincts reporting.

Sanders, speaking in Oregon on Tuesday night, said: “This is a state, West Virginia, where Hillary Clinton won by over 40 points against Barack Obama in 2008.

And in an email sIn an email sent out to supporters after polls closed on Tuesday he wrote: “There is nothing I would like more than to take on and defeat Donald Trump, someone who must never become president of this country. But I believe that it is not enough to just reject Trump – this is an opportunity to define a progressive vision for America.

Sanders has pointed to three recent polls that show he performs better against Republican nominee Trump than Clinton.

Trump easily won his party's West Virginia and Nebraska primaries.

Sanders has promised to stay in the presidential race until the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, which takes place in July.

By remaining in the race, Sanders has pushed Clinton to the left on mainly domestic issues, but her foreign policy continues to remain relatively hawkish for the Democratic Party.

During a debate in April, Sanders blasted Clinton for voting for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and spearheading its 2011 bombing campaign in Libya that helped topple its leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

“We didn’t think thoroughly about what happens the day after you get rid of these dictators,” said Sanders.

“Regime change often has unintended consequences in Iraq and in Libya right now, where ISIS has a very dangerous foothold,” he added, using an acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group.

Sanders also criticised Clinton’s support for a failed bid to arm Syrian rebels in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and in her support for a no-fly zone over parts of the war-ravaged country.

“It will cost an enormous sum of money [and] … it runs the risk of getting us sucked into perpetual warfare in that region,” Sanders said.

Clinton defended herself, suggesting that a faster military response in Syria could have halted a spiralling conflict that has claimed some 470,000 lives, according to one estimate, and forced millions from their homes.

“Nobody stood up to Assad and removed him, and we have had a far greater disaster in Syria than we are currently dealing with right now in Libya,” she told the audience.

“And, yes, I do still support a no-fly zone because I think we need to put in safe havens for those poor Syrians who are fleeing both Assad and ISIS and have some place that they can be safe.”