3:13 A.M.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic presidential primary in California. Despite overwhelming defeat Tuesday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders told supporters he will keep his bid alive.

Powered by a solid triumph in California, Hillary Clinton declared victory in her yearlong battle for the heart of the Democratic Party, seizing her place in history and setting out on the difficult task of fusing a fractured party to confront Donald Trump.

Clinton cruised to easy victories in four of the six state contests Tuesday. With each win she further solidified Sen. Bernie Sanders’ defeat and dashed his already slim chances of using the last night of state contests to refuel his flagging bid.

DECISION 2016: STATE & LOCAL ELECTION COVERAGE

The victories allowed Clinton to celebrate her long-sought “milestone” – the first woman poised to lead a major political party’s presidential ticket. Standing before a flag-waving crowd in Brooklyn, the former secretary of state soaked up the cheers and beamed.

“Barriers can come down. Justice and equality can win,” she said. “This campaign is about making sure there are no ceilings, no limits on any of us. This is our moment to come together.”

Clinton had already secured the delegates needed for the nomination before Tuesday’s contests, according to an Associated Press tally. Still, Sanders had hoped to use a victory in California to persuade party insiders to switch their allegiances. Sanders picked up wins in Montana and North Dakota, but Clinton won substantially in California.

Sanders vowed to continue to his campaign to the last contest in the District of Columbia next Tuesday.

“The struggle continues,” he said.

11 p.m.

Bernie Sanders says he will ‘continue the fight’ in the last primary of the Democratic campaign next week in Washington, D.C.

9:06 p.m.

California U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris has claimed one of two spots in the November runoff, moving the state attorney general into a potentially historic election.

Harris, a Democrat, had a wide lead in early returns Tuesday.

If elected this fall, the 51-year-old daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica would set historic marks. She would become the first Indian woman to hold a Senate seat and the second black woman elected to the Senate. Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun was elected in 1992 and served one term.

Thirty-four candidates are seeking the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. Under California’s unusual election rules, only two – the top vote-getters – advance to November.

A series of polls have suggested Harris and another Democrat, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County, will face off in the fall.

9:05 P.M.

Obama calls Hillary Clinton with congratulations on securing delegates needed to clinch Democratic nomination.

9:01 P.M.

Hillary wins South Dakota Democratic primary.

8:21 P.M.

Donald Trump has won the Republican primary in California.

Trump will now go on to the national convention in July with more than enough delegates to become the official nominee. But his candidacy remains a source of controversy, with many in the GOP struggling to rally behind the brash billionaire.

Earlier Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said comments Trump made accusing a district court judge of passing a racially motivated judgment against him were the “textbook definition of a racist comment.” And Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois withdrew his support from the presumptive nominee.

8:18 p.m.

The polls are now closed in California.

The Registrar of Voters’ Office is posting updated Election Results on the homepage of its website, www.sccvote.org, as well as on its Twitter and Facebook pages.

7:55 p.m.

Hillary Clinton has won the Democratic presidential primary in New Mexico.

Clinton walks away with her second win in Tuesday’s half dozen contests against rival Bernie Sanders, who won the caucuses in North Dakota.

The Associated Press declared Clinton the presumptive nominee, but her rival Bernie Sanders has vowed to fight on until all the superdelegates are allocated. Clinton leads Sanders both in pledged delegates and superdelegates.

7:38 p.m.

Hillary Clinton took direct aim at Donald Trump on Tuesday night as she claimed the Democratic nomination for president, calling out the billionaire for divisive rhetoric and casting his “Make America Great Again” slogan as “code for let’s take America backward.”

Clinton told supporters in Brooklyn, New York, that Trump was “temperamentally unfit” to be president, citing Trump’s attacks on a federal judge, reporters and women.

“He wants to win by stoking fear and rubbing salt in wounds and reminding us daily just how great he is,” Clinton said. “Well, we believe we should lift each other up, not tear each other down.”

7:37 p.m.

Clinton wins the New Mexico Democratic primary.

7:30 p.m.

Donald Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in Montana.

Trump will now go on to the national convention in July with more than enough delegates to become the official nominee, but his candidacy remains a source of controversy, with many in the GOP struggling to rally behind the brash billionaire.

Prior to his win in Montana Tuesday, Trump earned at least 1,239 bound delegates who are required by party rules to vote for him at the convention. It takes 1,237 delegates to win the GOP nomination.

Trump also has public support from 95 unbound delegates, but they could possibly change their minds and switch to another candidate.

7:20 p.m.

Hillary Clinton laid claim to the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination and with it, a piece of history Tuesday night, as she became the first woman to lead a major party’s bid for the White House.

Speaking in Brooklyn, New York, on a night where she won the New Jersey primary, Clinton told supporters that they were witnessing a historical moment.

“Thanks to you we’ve reached a milestone. First time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party’s nominee,” she said, adding that the victory “belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and made this moment possible.”