Hillary Clinton has all but ignored Bernie Sanders and his campaign up to this point; but as scandals and negative press continue to berate Clinton, the former First Lady, senator, and Secretary of State finds herself anxiously scrambling for position in Iowa. New polling data has Hillary faring worse than before against potential GOP opponents in key states, while Sanders’ numbers have climbed. The primary contest that wasn’t expected to be a contest is turning far too competitive for Hillary Clinton’s taste. Reports are that anxiety has stricken her campaign as Sanders moves within striking distance.

CNN reports:

Clinton has gone from all but ignoring Sanders to fiercely engaging him in recent days, a reflection of public and private polling that points to a race that is uncomfortably competitive for the Democratic front-runner. She openly questions his electability and argues that he is out of step with the party on guns and other issues.

But there are fresh questions about her electability argument, with Sanders faring better than Clinton in a series of hypothetical head-to-head matchups with top Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire, according to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll. Sanders holds a double-digit edge over Trump in both states, for example, while Clinton has a far narrower lead.

What we’re seeing here is not Americans catching whatever it is Bernie supporters have that makes them feel the burn; but the slow demise of the Hillary Clinton. The former Secretary of State continues to be bogged down by scandals which are increasing in severity as more evidence comes forth. It is now known that Hillary knowingly order an aide to commit a felony by stripping a “classified” marker off of a sensitive document and having them send it over a non-secure network. Furthermore, more allegations about Mrs. Clinton’s pay-for-access scandal concerning the State Department and her infamous Clinton Foundation continue to haunt her on the campaign trail. Not to mention, the lingering questions about Benghazi and the resurfacing of issues surrounding her husband’s sexual deviance.

I happen to believe that the evidence is too great and the pressure too high for the Justice Department to obstruct the team of federal investigators currently building a case against Hillary Clinton. With the newest revelations, I have come to agree with many insiders who believe Mrs. Clinton’s indictment is inevitable. The political price of obstructing justice in this case will be considered to damaging for even the White House to intervene. There has never been any love loss between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and now Obama will be able to wash his hands of her.

Even if I am wrong, and Hillary is not charged with federal crimes stemming from her purposeful disregard for national security in her handling of classified documents, the public perception of her may prove damning enough to keep her from securing the Democratic nomination. There was a time when I, like many others, felt Bernie Sanders didn’t have a chance. But a perfect storm has given him the opportunity to actually do the unthinkable.

One can’t help but wonder how Jim Webb would be faring in this environment, had he not dropped out. Now it appears Webb is preparing an independent run which will directly target Hillary Clinton. If Clinton isn’t forced to bow out due to possible criminal charges, she may have to defend against attacks from both Webb and Sanders while her favorability and polling numbers are sliding.

This all could lead to a terrifying prospect: Bernie Sanders one step away from the White House.

Would the Democratic Party accept a Bernie nomination, or would they steal it from him at the convention? Some doubt the party would allow an open socialist to be their standard bearer. But such a move could anger the base and drive people to Jim Webb.

Politically, I am torn. I Want to see Hillary pay for what she has done, but the prospect of a Bernie Sanders nomination is frightening. One thing is for sure; it should be an interesting couple months.