Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager doesn’t understand Bernie Sanders’ rationale for a delegate fight

Fresh off Hillary Clinton’s victory over Bernie Sanders in the New York Democratic primary, her campaign manager, Robby Mook, says he believes she’ll soon have the magic number of delegates needed to secure the nomination — and doesn’t understand the Sanders campaign’s vow to take its fight to the convention.

“I don’t see a clear path for them at this point,” Mook told Yahoo News’ Katie Couric on Tuesday night. “The numbers are pretty daunting.”

Clinton, Mook pointed out, is winning both the popular vote and has the edge on the Vermont senator among pledged delegates.

But Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, told MSNBC that even if the Vermont senator fails to catch up to Clinton in those categories, they’re going to the Democratic convention in Philadelphia to try and woo the so-called superdelegates anyway.

“We’re going to go to the convention,” Weaver said. “It’s extremely unlikely that either candidate will have the requisite number of pledged delegates [to clinch the nomination]. It’s going to be an election determined by the superdelegates.”

“I find that kind of odd,” Mook said. “When Hillary walks into that convention leading with the popular vote, leading with the pledged delegates, I don’t understand the rationale for all these superdelegates to suddenly support Sen. Sanders.”

On the eve of the New York primary, Bernie Sanders’ wife Jane called the superdelegate system “silly.”

“They’re 30 percent of the vote that a candidate needs to become the nominee,” she told the Daily Beast. “How fair is that? I am a voter. I have one vote, yet you’re a superdelegate and count for thousands and thousands of votes. That doesn’t make any sense at all. ‘One person, one vote’ is what democracy is supposed to be about.”

Meanwhile, Mook says he isn’t worried about a protracted primary and thinks Clinton will reach the magic number by mid-June.

“I’m not concerned with the primary going until the end,” he said. “I think Hillary, by the end of the primary, by the time the states on June 7 and June 14 vote, it’ll be clear who the nominee is gonna be.”

However, Mook is concerned that Sanders’ recent “personal attacks” against the former secretary could hurt her in the fall.

“I think their campaign needs to decide, ‘Are we engaging in a debate on issues, or are we going to have a scorched earth campaign, call into question Hillary’s character and ultimately aid and abet Republicans?’” Mook said.