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Reactions To Hillary Clinton Securing The Democratic Presidential Nomination Are Mixed

When the news broke Monday night that there is a presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2016 presidential election, reactions to Hillary Clinton securing the Democratic presidential nomination show a mix of reactions, from those overjoyed at the prospect of the first female major party candidate ever to those who feel no announcement or celebration should be made until the convention.

The tenor of the responses was in part a result of the timing of the news. Clinton was expected to be declared the certain winner of the nomination after Tuesday's primaries in California, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, New Jersey, and South Dakota. However, on Monday night, the AP reported that its count of delegates won in the primary plus "party insiders known as superdelegates" showed that Clinton already has the numbers to win the nomination.

Even Clinton's campaign seemed to consider the announcement premature. Speaking at a rally in Long Beach, California when the news broke Monday night, Clinton told the crowd, "We are on the brink of a historic, historic, unprecedented moment, but we still have work to do, don’t we?" according to the New York Times. It is possible that the AP announcement could result in fewer Clinton supporters voting tomorrow because they feel the primaries are over, which could mean less robust returns than Clinton's camp is hoping for. The campaign also has a rally planned in Brooklyn Tuesday night where she was expected to declare presumptive victory.

Clinton's opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has vowed that the race cannot be counted at this point because he will contest the Democratic national convention and persuade Clinton's superdelegates to support him.

After news of the AP count broke, Twitter filled with commentary:

Some Were Purely Supportive

Some Noted The Historical Significance

Others Protested That It Isn't Over

Supporters Urged Voters To Still Hit The Polls

As Did Clinton

As the election moves forward, it remains to be seen whether Sanders' supporters will ultimately rally around Clinton or he will, in fact, contest the convention, in which case Democratic voters may remain divided for a few more months. Either way, as some of Clinton's supporters noted, it is indeed a historic day.