Democrats battle for minority votes in US presidential race

US presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have battled for the crucial support of black and Hispanic voters in a Democratic debate in Milwaukee that marked a shift in the primary towards states with more minority voters.

After splitting the first two state-by-state primary contests with Mr Sanders, Ms Clinton claimed her unexpectedly strong rival was energising voters with promises “that cannot be kept”.

She continued to closely align herself with US president Barack Obama, who remains popular, particularly with black Democrats.