Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) was declared the winner of the Democratic primary in Indiana Tuesday, dealing an upset to Hillary Clinton.
While the race was initially too close to call, NBC News and CNN declared Sanders the victor about two hours after polls closed at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday evening. Sanders was capturing 53 percent of the vote, and Clinton followed close behind with 47 percent.
Sanders’ victory will likely provide his campaign momentum, though Clinton remains the favorite to win the Democratic nomination.
Clinton’s loss in Indiana followed renewed scrutiny over a past statement she made about putting coal miners and companies "out of business." Clinton was forced to apologize for the remark, which she first made in March at a town hall in Ohio, when confronted by a West Virginia man who recently lost his job at a coal company. Clinton called the comments a "misstatement" on Monday.
The former secretary of state had a slight edge over Sanders going into Tuesday’s voting, though the race was anticipated to be relatively close. Clinton held a nearly seven-point lead over Sanders among likely the state’s primary voters ahead of the contest in Indiana, according to an average of polls provided by Real Clear Politics.
Clinton’s loss in Indiana followed a series of wins in the so-called "Acela primary" one week prior. Clinton bested Sanders in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania last Tuesday, while Sanders prevailed in Rhode Island.
Sanders and his advisers were said to be reassessing his candidacy following last Tuesday’s results, though the self-described socialist was expected to remain in the race for some time.
Sanders has continued to express moderate confidence in the face of Clinton’s victories, saying at a news conference Sunday that he faces "a tough road to climb, but not an impossible road to climb" to capture the party’s nomination.
Meanwhile, Clinton allies have grown angry at Sanders’ commitment to remain in the race until the Democratic National Convention in July.
"At this late stage in the primary, he should stop trying to rile up his people and start to bring everyone together," a Clinton ally recently told The Hill. "That’s what Hillary did for Obama. He needs to set an example and start bringing his people over if he cares about defeating [Donald] Trump in the general election."
Still, a poll released by NBC News earlier Tuesday found that a majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaners want Sanders to stay in the race through the convention.