Disaster for Bernie: Hillary sweeps Sanders with victories in all FIVE states while her team suggests he is so far behind in delegates that he CAN'T win 

Hillary Clinton inflicted a huge blow on Bernie Sanders on Tuesday night, sweeping to victory in all five states on one of the biggest nights of the primary season so far. 

The former Secretary of State took a step closer to cementing the nomination with wins in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois and Missouri.

The last state, Missouri, is still down to the wire with 99.93% of the vote counted - but NBC News and the local network affiliates are calling it for Hillary. 

The Associated Press however, is still holding off a definitive announcement.

When counting stopped early on Wednesday morning Sanders and Clinton were separated by just 1,531 votes out of 619, 673. 

It means a recount is very possible in the Midwestern state and a result could not be known for days or weeks. 

But even excluding Missouri, it was a triumphant night for Clinton. 

Her Director of Communication, even told CNN that Bernie can no longer win the nomination, because of the gap in delegates. Hillary has 1,561 delegates and needs 822 more to secure the nomination, Bernie has 800. 

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Hillary Clinton secured a full sweep of the South where she has turned out black voters in record numbers

She told her supporters: 'For all of our challenges I've never had more faith in our future' 

But Clinton also took a dig at her rival Sanders.  She said: ''Every candidate makes promises... but every candidate owes it to you to be clear and direct about what our plans will cost, and how we're going to make them work. That's the difference between running for president and being president'

For Sanders, the night quickly spiraled out of control as he lost Florida, Ohio and North Carolina by doble digit margins

Despite the disastrous night, Sanders insisted his campaign had 'defied expectations' 

A Sanders supporters looks on as Bernie speaks to the crowd, determined to keep fighting in the campaign 

Clinton added the majority of pledged delegates in Florida and North Carolina to her lockbox - a full sweep of the South for the Democratic front-runner who has turned out black voters in that region in record numbers.

'For all of our challenges I've never had more faith in our future, and if we work together, and if we go forward in this campaign, if we win in November, I know our future will be brighter tomorrow than yesterday,' she declared.

For Sanders, the night quickly spiraled out of control as Clinton also picked up Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.

It was nothing short of a disaster for his presidential campaign, and Clinton rubbed it in his face in it as she delivered remarks just after 9pm.

'Every candidate makes promises like this,' she said after finishing her list of campaign promises, 'but every candidate owes it to you to be clear and direct about what our plans will cost, and how we're going to make them work.

Clinton said, 'That's the difference between running for president and being president.'  

Despite the disastrous night, Sanders still told supporters he had 'defied expectations'. 

His campaign turned their attention to Arizona where one of the next major primaries is set to take place.  

With 99 percent of the votes counted, Clinton was lapping Sanders in Florida with 65 percent of the vote to his 33 percent. The race was called for her at 8 pm Eastern.

'This is big. We just won Florida!' she said on Twitter.

North Carolina's tally foretold a similar outcome and 15 minutes later that state was awarded to her, too. With all the votes counted, Clinton has 55 percent and Sanders 41 percent.

Clinton had an even larger lead in Ohio when she was declared the winner there. As returns hit 99 percent completion mark, Clinton was ahead 57-43.

'We are moving closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination and winning this election in November,' she said as she delivered remarks after the first three states were called in her favor.

After a blowout victory in South Carolina, Clinton has conquered state after state in the South while Sanders made his move in the Northeast and Midwest. 

Illinois went to Hillary with 50.4 per cent to Sanders' 49 per cent and Missouri is too close to call with all the votes counted. 

Sanders had rallied supporters in all five states with contests.

As has become his custom, he jumped ahead on the calendar and held his evening event in Phoenix, Arizona, instead of lingering in a state he would maybe win but was far from guaranteed.

At his event he noted how far his campaign has come since he announced his candidacy almost a year ago and said, 'the reason that we have done as well as we have, the reason that we have defied all expectations, is that we are doing something very radical in American politics, we are telling the truth. 

'And the truth is not always pleasant. It's not always what we want to hear but we cannot go forward unless we deal with the realities of American society today, and that is what we are going to do.'

Sanders lamented the billionaire class that is 'spending unlimited sums of money' and 'undermining American democracy.'

'You want to vote for me, great. You don’t, that’s ok. But what I do not want to see are billionaires spending unlimited sums of money buying elections and undermining the democracy which has made our country so great,' he said.

Clinton savored her victories in West Palm Beach, Florida, with the supporters who helped hand the state to her in today's election. 

'You voted for our tomorrow to be better than yesterday,' she said as she promised her supporters she'd continue to fight for equal pay for equal work, affordable college and 'more good jobs' for the middle class. 

Too close to call: With 99.9% of the votes counted In Missouri, it was too close to call a winner between Clinton and Sanders - however many local news affiliates and NBC News have declared Hillary Clinton the winner

Clinton lapped Sanders in Florida. The race was called for her at 8 pm Eastern. 'This is big. We just won Florida!' she said on Twitter

North Carolina's tally foretold a similar outcome and 15 minutes later that state was awarded to her, too

'We are moving closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination and winning this election in November,' she said as she delivered remarks after the first three states were called in her favor

 

Ohio began announcing results at 7:30 pm Eastern and it still hangs in the balance. Illinois and Missouri shut down their polling places at 8 pm Eastern but have said nothing yet about the results.

Clinton predicted late this afternoon on MSNBC that she'd do well in the delegate game.

‘I think we will have a very good night,' she said.

And she said she didn't think Sanders' attempts this week to drag her down by tying her to embattled Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a alumni of her husband's administration, would work.

'I’m running on my record, what I have done, who I am, and what I will do as president, and I think voters understand that’,' she said.

National polling shows Sanders with a better chance at beating Donald Trump, the leading Republican contender, in November, but voters across the five states today said they believe Clinton is the Democrat best equipped to deliver

National polling shows Sanders with a better chance at beating Donald Trump, the leading Republican contender, in November, but voters across the five states today said they believe Clinton is the Democrat best equipped to deliver.

According to ABC News' exit polling, two-thirds of Democrats thought she could do it, less than a third said Sanders could.

Clinton once again had a shaky honesty and integrity score, however. Just six in 10 Democratic voters said she has those attributes. Eight in 10 said the same thing of Sanders. 

In no state did voters believe that his policies were more realistic than hers, though. Altogether 76 percent said Clinton was likely to achieve her campaign platform. A full 20 percent less had that much faith in Sanders and his agenda.

With Michigan under his belt, Sanders was hoping to snag a win in border state Ohio using the same argument against Clinton as before - she has a mediocre record on trade.

She came out against the president's Trans-Pacific Partnership but supported her husband's North American trade agreement. Sanders is against both because he says they kill jobs in the United States.

The attacks on Clinton didn't work for him the second time around, at least in Ohio. Exit polling had her winning the trade debate 53-46. 

He did pull six in 10 voters in Illinois over to his side when it came to trade, however, and he also split voters who said they were most concerned about health care with her.

Surveys showed Clinton with a commanding lead among black voters, as well, in Ohio - a warning sign that did not point in the direction of a repeat victory.

Indeed, Clinton crushed Sanders in The Buckeye State, kicking at a leg of his already wobbly stool.

Clinton once again had a shaky honesty and integrity score, however. Just six in 10 Democratic voters said she has those attributes. Eight in 10 said the same thing of Sanders

Black voters in North Carolina also gave Clinton a boost. They made up 30 percent of the electorate there and eight in 10 said they voted for Clinton.

Along the same lines, eight in 10 African-Americans said they voted for Clinton in Florida, as did seven in 10 Hispanics.

In Missouri, blacks accounted for just two in 10 voters, which typically bodes well for Sanders. 

A key demographic to Clinton's blowout in Florida: seniors. They made up roughly 25 percent of the state's Democratic voters, and three quarters of them voted for Clinton. 

If Sanders fails to win Washington at the end of this month by a no-nonsense margin and do well in Arizona and other states in next Tuesday's series of contests, he'll have no where left to run but New York and California.

Uber liberal blue states that favor his brand of politics, the Sanders campaign might otherwise be able to rip the rug out from under Clinton in the East and West Coast power centers.

But Clinton represented New York in the U.S. Senate, and she and her husband still reside in the Empire State.

Sanders also called New York home as a teen before moving to Chicago to attend university.

The Clinton campaign used Sanders' possible surge in the upcoming states on the West Coast as a fundraising tool, telling her backers in an email, 'You can't stop now. The map for the next couple weeks works in Bernie's favor, and he's certain to win several of the upcoming states.

'So it's incredibly important that we keep fighting for every vote and every delegate to keep our lead as large as it can be. 

Tagged with the signature of campaign manager Robby Mook, the email also said, 'But you've never shied away from a tough fight, and I know you won't disappoint Hillary.' 

Clinton takes selfies with her young fans after her Tuesdasy night victory speech in West Palm Beach, Florida

In no state did voters believe that Sanders' policies were more realistic than hers, though. Altogether 76 percent said Clinton was likely to achieve her campaign platform. A full 20 percent less had that much faith in Sanders and his agenda.