Once thought of as a fringe candidate, socialist Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire in a new poll.
Sanders edges Clinton 47 percent-44 percent among Democrats in both Iowa and New Hampshire, according to an American Research Group poll released on Monday. Both Clinton and Sanders have spent the past months vying for the top spot in the early primaries, with Clinton leading the majority of the time in Iowa and the two competing closely in New Hampshire.
This past weekend, Sanders pulled ahead of Clinton in Iowa among Democratic caucus-goers by a 49 percent to 42 percent margin in an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. While Clinton remains the heavy national front-runner, she watched a large lead dissipate when she lost to Barack Obama in 2008.
“I’m not trying to be dramatic about this (I swear! I’m really not!), but there’s a situation developing in Iowa and New Hampshire that could change the course of this election,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a Jan. 6 campaign email.
During the first week of 2016, Sanders outspent Clinton in television ads in both Iowa and New Hampshire. He also raised only $1 million less than Clinton during the third quarter without the front-runner’s strong fundraising team.
Underdog candidate Martin O’Malley only garnered 3 percent in both Iowa and New Hampshire. All three Democratic candidates will face off in Charleston, S.C., on Sunday for the party’s fourth debate.
