By the time Hillary Clinton addressed supporters from a Seattle high school gym early Wednesday morning, her win in Arizona already seemed like a footnote. Clinton had taken 60 percent of the roughly 70 percent of votes reported so far, but it was clear she had her mind on upcoming primaries and the general election.
It took her several minutes to even mention Arizona—one of three Democratic contests Tuesday—and when she did, it was within the context of the campaign's next steps.
"It's exciting to see that result come in because Arizona—like Washington, like a lot of the states that are going to be expressing their views and counting their votes in the weeks ahead—understand[s] that this is not just a contest between different candidates," Clinton said. "This is a contest between fundamentally different views of our country, our values, and our future."
Those differences she emphasized, though, aren't between her and primary opponent Bernie Sanders. Rather, they're between the former secretary of state and the Republicans she could face in the general election. Pivoting to the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Clinton said the day's events remind the country of "how high the stakes are," and she specifically called out Ted Cruz and Donald Trump for suggesting "wrong" and "dangerous" anti-terror policies.
"I want you to think about the next president, whoever it is, walking into the White House," Clinton started to say mid-speech, before she was interrupted by affirming shouts in the audience that it should be her. In agreement, she offered an impromptu line with a laugh that sums up her confidence tonight: "I do believe I am the most ready of anybody running to take that job."