Hillary Clinton had a slip of the tongue on Monday, saying she hoped for a win in the New York primary and to "wrap up" the Democratic nomination fight over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).
However, even with a victory on Tuesday, Clinton will still not have reached the requisite delegates to clinch the nomination. Her comment, ABC reporter Cecilia Vega noted, appeared to demonstrate how much she wants to put her surprisingly tough challenger in the rearview mirror.
"I am hoping to do really well tomorrow," Clinton said at an LGBT phone bank near the West Village. "I'm hoping to wrap up the Democratic nomination."
CBS noted she quickly recovered.
"But, but but—I am not taking anything for granted," she said. "I have to quickly add that before anyone has the wrong impression."
New York is Clinton's home state, and Vega said she needed to avoid a potentially "embarrassing" loss. While Clinton leads in the delegate count, Sanders has won seven straight primary contests.
Clinton served New York in the U.S. Senate for eight years, and she is a New York resident with a home in Chappaqua. With a double-digit lead in recent polls, she appears likely to win the state and put a halt to Sanders' momentum. However, his supporters have remained enthusiastic, with a record 28,000 showing out for him Sunday at Brooklyn's Prospect Park.
The fight between the two for the Democratic nomination has become increasingly bitter in recent weeks. At last Thursday's CNN debate, the pair's tempers flared over numerous issues. At one point, moderator Wolf Blitzer admonished them to stop interrupting one another so the viewers could hear.