Democrats square off in Kentucky, Oregon

Think of it as Week 14 in the NFL schedule. Love them or hate them, the Patriots will make the playoffs. Their goal in Week 14? Don’t get hurt.

So, too, with the seemingly endless Democratic presidential nominating contest.

Love her or hate her, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will make the playoffs. Her goal Tuesday? End U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ string of late-season wins and move closer to closing out the nomination.

Clinton has two chances Tuesday — in Kentucky, with its 55 delegates, and Oregon, with its 61. Recent polls have Clinton up in both states — by a shaky 5 percentage points in Kentucky and, according to the only recent poll, a surprisingly strong15 points in Oregon.

However, because Democrats divvy out delegates proportionately, closing out the nomination will have to wait until next month.

Next? After Tuesday, Democrats have almost a month off before voting resumes in the Virgin Islands on June 4 and Puerto Rico on June 5. However, the focus will be on June 7, when Democrats in six states vote, including California, with 475 delegates, and New Jersey, with 126. Those primaries should end the contest. Clinton has a 9.7-point lead in California and a 18.5-point lead in New Jersey, according to an average of polls by Real Clear Politics.

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Democrats square off in Kentucky, Oregon."