Heidi M. Przybyla

USA TODAY

Sen. Bernie Sanders won Wyoming’s Democratic caucus Saturday as he looks to narrow Hillary Clinton’s sizable lead in delegates needed to clinch the Democratic Party’s nomination.

A victory in the Cowboy State marks Sanders' eighth in the past nine contests before a critical showdown April 19 in New York. With only 14 delegates at stake, the results won’t mean much in the grand delegate scheme, and Sanders has performed well in similar Western, rural states like Nebraska. While Sanders won the popular vote at the Wyoming caucus 56% to Clinton's 44%, they each received seven delegates.

In an attempt to demonstrate momentum, the Vermont senator’s campaign released a statement earlier Saturday highlighting an estimated 1,088 pledged delegate total. Clinton has 249 more delegates, according to Associated Press numbers, and 2,383 are needed to lock in the nomination.

“The enthusiasm and commitment of Sen. Sanders’ supporters will enable us to add delegates to our total in many caucus states,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager.

The Democratic Party does not award delegates on a winner-take-all basis, making it hard for Sanders to close the gap. His strategy rests on wooing a number of superdelegates, party officials who have a vote at the convention and pick whom to support. Right now, many are with Clinton.

Even if Sanders wins in states like New York, his campaign concedes he can’t mathematically clinch the nomination before July and the winner will be determined at the party convention. That’s something the Clinton campaign disputes, with nonpartisan analyses suggesting Sanders’ reliance on low-turnout caucuses means he’s far behind in the popular vote. By the latest count, the Clinton campaign says it’s ahead by 2.5 million votes.

According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman, Sanders has captured 46% of Democrats’ pledged delegates but only 42% of votes. That means Clinton is likely to be able to convince many superdelegates to stick with her, he says.

What’s clear is the race is likely to go down to the final competitions, including California. In the meantime, rhetoric on the campaign trail took a heated turn this week as Clinton refused to directly answer a question about whether Sanders is qualified to serve as president. Sanders responded by calling Clinton unqualified for the job, then walked back the remark.

The two will face off Thursday in a debate in Brooklyn, hosted by CNN.

In New York, Clinton stands to benefit from the fact that it’s a closed primary so many of the independent voters who’ve lifted Sanders tally can’t participate. It also has a large minority population and more affluent voters. But New York is also a progressive hotbed, particularly in Manhattan, where Sanders is expected to do well.

While other polls have given Clinton a narrower advantage, a new Emerson College Polling Society survey finds Sanders trailing Clinton by 18 points.