Hillary Clinton still has big leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, according to new polls, but Bernie Sanders is closing the gap.
The simultaneous surveys, released by Bloomberg, show a shrinking margin between the self-described socialist and the former secretary of state.
In New Hampshire, 50 percent of those polled said that Clinton was their first choice for president, whereas 24 percent chose Sanders. Additionally, 20 percent said they’d pick Sanders as their second choice and only 18 percent said Clinton was their second pick.
Fifty-six percent of Iowa Democrats had Clinton as their first choice to 24 percent for Sanders. Twenty-nine percent said they’d pick Sanders as their second choice 19 percent had Hillary as their second choice.
The numbers represent as 6-8 point increase in Sanders’ support since Bloomberg last polled the two states in May. Sanders is making significant headway with voters in Iowa, with his current un-favorability rating at just 4 percent, down from 8 percent in May. Fifty-seven percent of respondents now view him positively, up 10 from the last poll.
By contrast, Clinton’s numbers are dropping — by 7 points in Iowa and by 6 points in New Hampshire. Her numbers are still good, however: 86 percent of Iowa Democrats view her favorably along with 86 percent of New Hampshire Democrats.
Across the board, voters in both Iowa and New Hampshire trusted Sanders more than Clinton to deal with Wall Street corruption and found him to be more authentic. But Clinton polled higher in terms of ability to beat a Republican nominee in the general electorate and knowing how to get things done in Washington.
