Clinton Will Clinch Nomination Before Ca. Polls Close

                                                                        
 Memorial Day parade in Chappaqua, N.Y, on Monday. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

In California the state’s delegates are divided proportionally, and Clinton and Sanders are expected to have a close finish, so it is unlikely that a Sanders win if he were to win(?) Would prevent Clinton from securing the number of delegates she needs to clinch the nomination next week. Most likely, both candidates will come out of California with three-figure delegate hauls.

California is one of six states that hold their primaries next week, and Clinton needs only 73 delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination. Given that voting in New Jersey, a state that will be awarding 142 Democratic delegates, close first, there's a chance she will clear the threshold before polls in California close.

Bruce Cain, a professor of political science at Stanford University, told ABC News that “it’s not about winning the nomination anymore” for Sanders and his supporters but about gaining momentum to help push his policies when it comes time for the convention.

"They want to move the party from its likely centrist direction ... They want to do what they can to prevent [Clinton] from her moving into the middle," Cain said of Sanders camp’s likely motives.

For Clinton, Cain says, it’s more about her perception heading into the general election contest because “between New Jersey and California, she’s going to be way over what she needs in the delegate count.”

"It means in the short run, there will be continued angst about her performance as a candidate and endless second-guessing as to whether the party’s made a mistake, by some anyway," Cain said.

When it comes to the general election, Donald Trump may be the biggest factor in helping Clinton and Sanders supporters resolve their differences.

“Time is on Hillary's side, and Trump is on Hillary's side, in the sense that his continued controversial statements and policy pronouncements will ultimately help to unite the Democratic Party because in politics, opposition to the other side is a far more powerful force than agreement," Cain said.