Bernie Sanders is catching up to Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.
A CNN/WMUR poll released on Thursday had the independent Vermont senator just eight points behind Clinton in the Granite State’s Democratic primary.
The poll has Sanders receiving the support of 35% of likely Democratic voters while Clinton is at 43%. Vice-president Joe Biden, who has not indicated that he will mount a presidential bid, is at 8% and the former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley is at 2%.
The poll has Clinton with a far slimmer lead than she possessed at this time eight years ago. In June 2007 a CNN/WMUR poll gave Clinton a 36%-22% lead over Barack Obama in New Hampshire. Obama won the Democratic nomination.
Sanders has been drawing massive crowds on the campaign trail. Most recently, when he and Clinton appeared with two days of each other in Des Moines, Iowa, the Vermonter drew a bigger crowd. This was despite the fact that Sanders has repeatedly held public events in Iowa while it was Clinton’s first public rally in the Hawkeye State since announcing her candidacy.
Clinton’s weakness in New Hampshire is a significant red flag for her campaign. New Hampshire has long been a stronghold for both Hillary and Bill Clinton. A strong performance in the state’s primary made Bill Clinton “the comeback kid” in 1992 and a surprise win in the 2008 primary kept Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign alive after her loss in Iowa.
Sanders is scheduled to hold six events across New Hampshire this weekend. In contrast, while several members of Congress are appearing on Clinton’s behalf in New Hampshire in the coming days, the former secretary of state is not scheduled to appear.
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