New Delhi: Former first lady of United States, Hillary Clinton has clinched the Democratic Party nomination for president after reaching the required number of delegates, according to media reports.
Clinton, 68, has received commitments from enough delegates to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, according to the Associated Press and US networks. She will be the first woman to lead a major US party in the race for the White House.
News agency AP's tally puts Clinton on 2,383 - the number needed to make her the presumptive nominee.
Soon after the surfacing of reports, a "flattered" Clinton took to Twitter and played it down saying, "got primaries to win."
We’re flattered, @AP, but we've got primaries to win. CA, MT, NM, ND, NJ, SD, vote tomorrow! https://t.co/8t3GpZqc1U
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 7, 2016
But, her rival Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said he intended to stay in the race until the party's convention in July.
Sanders immediately responded, insisting no Democrat will lock in the nomination until the Democratic national convention in July because unbound super-delegates cannot vote until then.
"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 super-delegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer," Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement.
Clinton reached the threshold with a big win in Puerto Rico and a burst of last-minute support from party insiders called superdelegates, AP said.
Clinton has earned support from 561 super-delegates, while Sanders has just 47, according to CNN.
(With Agency inputs)
