Photo by Tannen Maury/EPA
Bernie Sanders conceded the Missouri primary to Hillary Clinton on Thursday evening, after drawing her to a near-tie in a race that was so close that many news outlets declined to call it even two days after the final votes came in.In the end, Clinton defeated Sanders by just 1,531 votes — or two-tenths of a percentage point in Missouri, far below the 1 percent threshold required for a candidate to request a recount.But Sanders has decided instead to move on, telling the Associated Press that he would concede the race because he would "prefer to save the taxpayers of Missouri some money" on a recount.Since the race was so close, Sanders is likely to leave the state with nearly as many delegates as Clinton. But the concession also means that Clinton can now claim a full sweep of all five states that voted on Tuesday night, which helped to pad her overall delegate lead with big wins in places like Florida and Ohio.Clinton currently has a 300-delegate lead over Sanders. The two will next compete in Arizona, Idaho, and Utah on Tuesday.In Missouri's Republican primary race, Donald Trump is leading Senator Ted Cruz by two-tenths of a percentage point. Cruz has not yet indicated whether he will request a recount.Follow Sarah Mimms on Twitter: @SarahMMimms
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