Bernie Sanders took 50 percent to Hillary Clinton's 41 percent, with 2 percent expressing support for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. | AP Photo Poll: Sanders up by 9 points on Clinton in N.H. after debate

Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton in the latest Suffolk University poll of likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters out Friday. But his nine-point advantage in the new survey is only a third of his lead in the CNN/WMUR poll released earlier this week.

The Vermont senator took 50 percent to Clinton's 41 percent, with 2 percent expressing support for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Just 6 percent said they remain undecided with less than three weeks to go until the Feb. 9 election, in the first survey taken in New Hampshire with results collected entirely after Sunday night's debate.


The CNN/WMUR poll released Tuesday showed Sanders with a large 27-point lead over Clinton, 60 percent to 33 percent, though the latest results on Friday appear to be more in line with recent surveys.

On the issues, a plurality of likely primary voters — 44 percent — said their views on gun control were more closely allied with Clinton, while 30 percent said Sanders better represents their position. On health care, there is nearly an exact split, with 43 percent favoring Clinton and 44 percent for Sanders.

When it comes to being trusted, 51 percent said they trusted Sanders most, while 36 percent said the same for Clinton. At the same time, more than three in five voters said Clinton is the best Democratic candidate to defeat the eventual Republican nominee in November, 60 percent to 26 percent.

The poll was conducted Jan. 19-21 via landlines and cellphones, surveying 500 registered voters likely to vote in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.