Bernie Sanders scored one of the biggest victories of his underdog campaign Tuesday by beating Hillary Clinton in Michigan, a delegate-rich state where she led by double digits in the closing days before voting.

The 2-point upset came after both candidates invested time and money in the state, and fuels the argument from Sanders’ camp that he should not be written off after Clinton’s earlier wins.

The outcome in Michigan is significant for Sanders because it demonstrates an ability to compete in diverse primary states — counteracting a knock frequently leveled at him by Clinton allies that he has only performed well in largely white states.

“What tonight means is the Bernie Sanders campaign, the people’s revolution that we are talking about, the political revolution we have been talking about, is strong in every part of the country,” Sanders told reporters in Miami before the race was called. He predicted success in upcoming states, including in the West.

When you look at the areas that Sanders won, it wasn’t even close. Hillary Clinton made the race close by overwhelming victories in a very few areas. I don’t have the time to play with the Census data, but I suspect Hillary’s wins closely correlate with the minority population in the area. (If you want to test the theory, go here.)

Ironically, the way the Democrats run their primaries the winner can come away with fewer delegates than any candidate named Clinton. Despite Sanders’s win, Clinton gets more delegates.

The macro effect of this is probably nil unless Hillary’s poor health removes from the race… or she is indicted. But what it ensures is that it will set off another fundraising bonanza for Sanders that will keep him moving forward. It will gain him a prominent spot at the DNC national convention. And, if the superdelegates have to be used to put Hillary over the top, you can bet there will be battalions of Bolsheviks Bernie Sanders voters who are mightily pissed.

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