Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Close Out California Campaigns

— -- On the eve of the California primary and nominating contests in five other states, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders turned reflective on Monday, looking ahead to what is likely to be an historic day in the 2016 presidential race.

Sanders shifted from his insistence that he will carry on to the convention, instead making it clear that he will reassess his options after tomorrow.

“After the primary here in California, where we hope to win, let's assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation,” Sanders said during a press conference in Emeryville, California.

Along with California, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana all hold nominating contests on Tuesday. Clinton is expected to reach the number of delegates to clinch the nomination after results are announced in New Jersey. Nevertheless, Sanders insisted he will “certainly” hit the trail in the Washington, D.C., Democratic primary, which takes place on June 14, 2016 -- the last official contest on the primary calendar.

“We’ll be taking a plane back to Burlington and certainly will be campaigning in D.C.,” he said.

For her part, Clinton spent part of Tuesday looking far ahead.

Clinton noted it was “really emotional” to see her supporters’ belief that “having a woman president will make a great statement.”

“I am someone who has been very touched and really encouraged by this extraordinary conviction that people have,” she told her press corps in Compton, California, today.

Clinton again set her targets not on her Democratic rival, but rather on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“I think that Donald Trump is unqualified to be president and he is temperamentally unfit to be commander-in-chief,” she said. “I believe that with all my heart, and if I weren’t running, even if I weren’t about to become the nominee, I would be making a case against Donald Trump.”