Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is greeted by supporters as he arrives at The Exchange Pub + Kitchen in downtown New Albany prior to delivering a victory speech on the front steps of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library after defeating Hillary Clinton in the Indiana Democratic Primary on Tuesday. 

NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Following the final state tallies on Indiana’s Primary Election on Tuesday, Democratic Party presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders delivered a speech claiming victory at the New Albany-Floyd County, Indiana Library’s front steps Tuesday.

Sanders’ victory speech came hours after Donald Trump soundly defeated Ted Cruz in the Republican primary, after which Cruz announced he was dropping out of the race.

As of 10:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, Sanders, Democratic senator from Vermont, took the state with about 52 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton’s 48 percent, according to the Indiana Secretary of State website.

About the primary results, Sanders said from the library that his win in the Hoosier state gives his campaign more momentum to keep going all the way to the convention.

“I know all the pundits thought we were supposed to lose, but that apparently was not what the people of Indiana have concluded,” Sanders said. “I understand that Secretary Clinton thinks this campaign is over; I got some bad news for her. Tonight, we won a great victory in Indiana. Next week, we’re going to be in West Virginia — we think we have a real shot to win in that great state.” 

Sanders said with primaries coming in Kentucky and Oregon, there’s a good chance he could win those states as well, even in the delegate-rich state of California.

He said as people get more tired of working longer hours, a broken criminal justice system and hitting on several other of his key issues, he thinks more states and delegates will choose him, especially as more polls seem to indicate Sanders has a better lead in polls against Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, in the general election in November.

“I think that as more and more delegates to the Democratic Convention take a hard look at which candidate is generating the kind of enthusiasm, excitement, voter turnout that we need to make sure that somebody like a Donald Trump does not become president,” Sanders said, “I think you’ll see more and more delegates concluding that that candidate is Bernie Sanders.”

Clapp writes for the Jeffersonville, Indiana News and Tribune.