Former Secretary of State, senator and First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has won the night and the right to stand as the Democratic Party’s nomination for president – and a place in history as the first woman to win a major party nomination for president.

Gaining a convincing victory in New Jersey, a solid victory in New Mexico, and a surprise success in South Dakota, the national attention turned to California and its massive delegate (and voter haul). By morning in South Africa, Clinton was substantially ahead in California as well. A victory there will close off virtually any avenue for Sanders supporters to claim a conceivable path for a contested convention, come late July in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, in uncontested battles, Donald Trump won all the Republican primary contests – but since he had no opposition, those results were about as pre-ordained as an election in North Korea, and almost as terrifying.

In Hillary Clinton’s words, as she was on the cusp of a historic night, she had told supporters in Brooklyn, “This campaign is about making sure there are no ceilings, no limits on any of us,” eight years to the day after she ended her first failed White House run. Looking forward to the next phase of the campaign, she said, “It never feels good to put our heart into a cause or a candidate you believe in and come up short. I know that feeling well. But as we look ahead to the battle that awaits, let’s remember all that unites us.”

In leading up to her victory, Clinton was biting and sarcastic as she had taken on Trump, accusing him of wanting to win “by stoking fear and rubbing salt in wounds ? and reminding us daily just how great he is”. This had followed up her stinging critique of Trump – and his foreign policy thoughts – in San Diego, California last week.

And of her opponent? Even in defeat, Bernie Sanders’ achievements have been remarkable for a candidate unknown to most Americans before the campaign had started. He has drawn massive crowds to his rallies around the country, has built a fundraising juggernaut based largely on small donations online, and he has been particularly popular with young voters, an important piece of the Democratic coalition. In his concession speech about losing most of the races on Tuesday, Sanders insisted he was still in the race. Still, Clinton’s victory has been broadly decisive. She leads Sanders by more than 3-million cast votes, besides the delegate counts.

Meanwhile, new turmoil broke among Republicans. GOP leaders were shrinking back from supporting him in public, given Trump’s comments about an ethnic Hispanic judge now hearing a case involving the so-called Trump University, with one senator even pulling his previously offered endorsement. Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, who is locked in a close re-election fight, became the first lawmaker to pull his endorsement of Trump. And Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said the businessman’s assertion was the “textbook definition of a racist comment” – but he would continue to support Trump.

The Republican candidate eventually issued a statement saying he does “not feel one’s heritage makes them incapable of being impartial”. But he still questioned whether he was receiving fair treatment in the case involving the now-defunct Trump University. Nonetheless, this criticism has forced Trump to dial back on his criticisms of the judge – but not his stinging slaps at Clinton, promising a full-scale assault on Monday on the Clinton track record – and both the nominee and her husband, the former president.

Clinton now confronts a two-front challenge in the coming days as she must appeal to the enthusiastic, even diehard, supporters of her rival Bernie Sanders, even as she needs to sharpen further and more clearly still her contrasts with Donald Trump. In doing this, she will be reaching for the new millennial voters who have been so supportive of Sanders this year, even as much of that historical blue collar voter base that used to be a core Democratic constituency throughout the Midwest has conclusively become GOP voters.

Meanwhile President Barack Obama called both Clinton and Sanders late on Tuesday as Obama congratulated Clinton for “securing the delegates necessary to clinch the Democratic nomination for president” and praised her “historic campaign”, but without a formal endorsement of her candidacy. Yet.

The White House said Obama and Sanders will meet at the White House on Thursday, at the Vermont senator’s request. At this point, Sanders must decide just how much of an effort to reconcile with Clinton he will offer to do. But now, primarily, the big takeaway is Clinton’s win as first female major party presidential candidate and it is on to the main event as Clinton and Trump take their places as finalists – even before the parties’ respective conventions. DM

Photo: US presumptive Democratic Party Presidential nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gestures an embrace to her supporters at the conclusion of a Primary Night campaign event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, USA, 07 June 2016. On Monday Mrs. Clinton exceeded the delegate threshold to become the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for the President of the United States. EPA/PETER FOLEY