Bernie Sanders said he plans to appeal to the 400 or so superdelegates who pledged to Hillary Clinton before he entered the race and others in states he won handily. | Getty Sanders: 'California is the big enchilada’

Capturing the California primary will be critical for Bernie Sanders’ hopes of capturing the Democratic nomination, but the Vermont senator said Sunday the Golden State isn’t do-or-die for his campaign.

“Obviously, if we don't do well in California, it will make our path much, much harder,” Sanders said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “No question about it. But I think we have a good chance to winning California, maybe win big, and maybe win four or five of the other states that are off on June 7th.”


Recent polls have shown the race between Sanders and front-runner Hillary Clinton is narrowing, but the former secretary of state still has an edge. Democrats are also voting that day in New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Sanders said he plans to appeal to the 400 or so superdelegates who pledged to Clinton before he entered the race and to others in states he won handily.

But he conceded the 475 delegates up for grabs in California will be critical.

“California is the big enchilada, so to speak,” Sanders said. “Obviously, it is enormously important, and obviously, we want to win it. But let me just tell you something. You know, my campaign has been written off from before we started.”