Bernie Sanders wins Wyoming Democratic caucuses

CHEYENNE, Wyo., April 9 (UPI) -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has won the Wyoming Democratic presidential caucus over his rival, Hillary Clinton.

The victory is Sanders' eighth out of the last nine nominating contests and gives Sanders another shot of momentum as the campaign turns back east, with a large prize, New York, at stake next, on April 19.

But momentum is about all Sanders will gain. After notching a win with 56 percent of the vote to Clinton's 44 percent, due to state party rules the two will split the 14 delegates evenly, at seven apiece.

That means Sanders failed to cut into Clinton's delegate lead in the race.

Sanders was campaigning in Queens when news outlets projected he was the winner in Wyoming, prompting wild cheers from supporters.

Sanders was projected to win in the nation's least populous state. The demographics define areas where he's had the most success -- a rural Western caucus state with an overwhelmingly white population.

Given the inherent advantage Sanders had going into Wyoming, Clinton aides were left crowing he was unable to run up a bigger victory, arguing Sanders failed to meet expectations there.

"This is exactly the type of contest he needed to shut us out in," an unnamed Clinton aide told CNN. "Not only did he not do that, he only netted two delegates, if that."

Aimee Van Cleave, the Wyoming Democratic chair, predicted record turnout across the state, though early numbers weren't clear as to whether that was the really the case.

Sanders traveled to Wyoming to campaign there, holding a large rally in the town of Laramie, population 30,000. Despite his in-person appeal, Clinton carried Laramie County and the state's other most populous county, Natrona, seat of the state's capital, Cheyenne.