Despite a strong debate performance, Hillary Clinton still trails Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire.
Sanders maintains a healthy lead over the former secretary of State, 38 percent to 30 percent, according to a new Franklin Pierce University / Boston Herald poll of likely Democratic primary voters.
Vice President Joe Biden, who is expected to announce his 2016 intentions by Wednesday, is at 19 percent in the state that neighbors Sanders’ home state of Vermont. But if Biden decides not to run, Sanders’ lead over Clinton balloons to 48 percent to her 38 percent.
The results also show that Clinton could be in trouble when it comes to wooing Granite State voters to her side. Seven in 10 Sanders supporters say they’ve made a “firm choice” to vote for the Vermont senator, a 26 percent increase from the same poll in August. However, 40 percent of Clinton voters said they were firmly voting for her in August, a number which has now grown to 62 percent.
Eighty-three percent of likely Democratic voters also say they have a favorable impression of Sanders, a 7-point increase since August. Though 74 percent of Democrats view Clinton favorably, this is a 6-point drop since August.
Despite all of this, just 13 percent of Democratic voters think Sanders will win the nomination, compared to 64 percent who say Clinton will be the pick. These results are virtually unchanged since August.
New Hampshire’s primary, which is the first in the nation, is set for Feb. 9.
The poll of 403 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted Oct. 14-17 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
