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Clinton, Sanders locked in tight contest in Kentucky primary Comment By Ken Thomas, The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Ken Thomas, The Associated Press Posted May. 17, 2016 at 6:13 PM By Ken Thomas, The Associated Press Posted May. 17, 2016 at 6:13 PM » Social News WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are neck-and-neck so far in Kentucky's presidential primary today as the Democratic front-runner aimed to blunt Sanders' momentum ahead of a likely general election matchup against Republican Donald Trump. Clinton had 46.3 percent of the vote in Kentucky and Sanders 46.6 percent as of 6:10 p.m. Clinton entered today's primaries in Kentucky and Oregon with a commanding lead of nearly 300 pledged delegates over Sanders and a dominant advantage among party officials and elected leaders known as superdelegates. Clinton and Sanders are locked in a tight contest in Kentucky as the results are being reported, but both campaigns have said Sanders has an edge in Oregon. Clinton remains on track to clinch the nomination in early June, but is trying to avoid ending the primary season with a string of losses to the Vermont senator. Today's elections are taking place amid new questions about party unity following a divisive weekend state party convention in Nevada. Supporters of Sanders tossed chairs and made death threats against the Nevada party chairwoman at the event in Las Vegas, arguing the party leadership rigged the results of the convention in favor of Clinton. In a sign of the tensions between the two sides, Sanders issued a defiant statement on Tuesday dismissing complaints from Nevada Democrats as "nonsense" and said his supporters were not being treated with "fairness and respect." Trump was competing in the sole GOP contest in Oregon. The billionaire businessman picked up nine delegates earlier Tuesday in Guam, which held its territorial convention in March, and had 1,143 delegates heading into the Oregon contest — fewer than 100 delegates short of the 1,237 he needs to clinch the nomination. For Democrats, 61 delegates are at stake in Oregon and 55 delegates are up for grabs in Kentucky. In Kentucky, the former secretary of state visited black churches, a small-town diner and held rallies on Sunday and Monday in an effort to break up Sanders' momentum after his recent victories in Indiana and West Virginia. Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, was the last Democrat to carry the state in a presidential election — he won Kentucky in 1992 and 1996 — and the former first lady tried to emphasize those ties in the days leading up to the primary. "I'm excited about the primary but we've got to turn a lot of people out," Clinton told a packed diner in Paducah, Ky., on Monday. "I'll tell you this. I'm not going to give up on Kentucky in November. I want to help to bring back the kind of economy that worked for everybody in the 1990s." Facing a choice between Clinton and Sanders, physician Annie Skaggs in Campbellsville, Kentucky, said she had a hard time making up her mind. "I like them both. I wanted to put them both in a blender and whir them up together," she said. "I voted for Hillary. She's got a little broader base and more experience, especially with foreign policy." Sharon Sharp said she voted for Sanders for one reason: He is not Hillary Clinton. "Benghazi and the emails? That's just too much to trust her to run my country," Sharp said after casting her vote. Sanders was favored in Oregon, which is among the nation's most liberal states. Sanders secured the endorsement of Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in April. Nearing the end of a long primary slog, the two Democratic candidates are preparing for June 7 primaries in California, New Jersey and four other states. When pledged delegates and superdelegates are combined, Clinton entered today's races about 94 percent of the way toward securing the Democratic nomination. Sanders has vowed to campaign through the end of the primary season on June 14 in the District of Columbia and amass as many delegates as possible to influence the party's platform and message. He is still aiming to wrestle the nomination from Clinton, even though he would need to win about two-thirds of the remaining pledged delegates to end the primary season in a tie. Sanders campaigned Monday and Tuesday in Puerto Rico, which holds its contest on June 5, and was holding a rally in the Los Angeles area late Tuesday. Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver, Catherine Lucey in Paducah, Ky., and Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas contributed to this report. Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/KThomasDC . By Ken Thomas, The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Ken Thomas, The Associated Press Posted May. 17, 2016 at 6:13 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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