Bernie Sanders says his narrow Nevada loss shows his 'campaign can win anywhere'

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' recent surge in Nevada ultimately fell short Saturday. But afterward, he argued it signaled a momentous turn in the race.

Sanders, a senator from Vermont, lost out to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Saturday Nevada caucuses.

With 73% of precincts reporting, Clinton maintained a 52.3% to 47.7% lead over Sanders, The Associated Press reported.

That final result, Sanders noted in a statement afterward, was much more narrow than the deficit he faced months and even weeks ago.

Sanders was coming off a massive win in the New Hampshire primary over Clinton earlier this month. However, that state contained a nearly all-white voting block. Nevada's demographic makeup was much different, with minority voters making up more than 40% of the electorate, according to NBC News, which reported that Clinton won the black vote by a wide margin.

Sanders did close the gap in recent weeks. And in a separate message to supporters Saturday, he said the Nevada result proved the campaign "could win anywhere."

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