Clinton on Historic Victory: 'We've Reached a Milestone'

For the first time in America's 240-year history, voters have chosen a woman to be the presidential nominee of a major political party.

Hillary Clinton assumed the mantle of the Democratic Party Tuesday after a grueling primary season.
    
"Thanks to you, we've reached a milestone," Clinton told her supporters. "For the first time, first in our nation's history, that a woman will be a major party's nominee of the United States."

Some of her supporters called her run an important moment.

"I'm incredibly excited," New York resident Andrea Reese said. "I feel like I've been waiting for this my whole life. She won fair and square and this is an extraordinarily exciting and historic night."

But even after winning the California, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota primaries, Clinton's battles are far from over.

She now has to appeal to the supporters of her rival Bernie Sanders, who is vowing to stay in until the last primary next week, as well as his party's national convention in late July.

"We're going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington, D.C.," vowed Sanders, drawing a major round of applause. "And then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia."

Meanwhile, Donald Trump says his campaign is beginning a new chapter.

"We're only getting started and it's going to be beautiful. Remember that," the GOP presumptive nominee told supporters.

The billionaire closed out the Republican primary season doing something he's rarely done in his campaign - using a teleprompter for a scripted speech, promising to fight like "nobody has ever fought before."

"I'm going to be America's champion because, you see, this election isn't about Republican or Democrat," he said. "It's about who runs this country -- the special interests or the people, and I mean the American people."

Turning his focus to Clinton, Trump accused the Democratic nominee and her husband of "selling access" and government contracts to enrich themselves.

"Hillary Clinton turned the State Department into her private hedge fund," he charged. "The Russians, the Saudis, the Chinese all gave money to Bill and Hillary and got favorable treatment in return."

Just hours before this speech, Trump backed away from controversial comments he made about a judge in a fraud case against Trump University.

Trump accused U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel of being biased against him because of his Mexican heritage. 

That remark drew sharp criticism from top Republican leaders, prompting Trump to say his comments had been misconstrued and that he wasn't going to discuss the matter any further.

Now, with the battle for the White House finally down to two contenders, the general election campaign begins. 

The coming weeks will undoubtedly see new twists and turns – and likely controversies – as both nominees make their case to the electorate. The American people will then have the final say November 8.