Donovan Slack

USA TODAY

Support for Hillary Clinton among Democratic voters under 50 has tanked in the past month, according to a new Monmouth University poll.

In December, she led fellow Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., 52%-35% in that demographic. Now she trails him 39%-52%.

She also has lost significant support among Democratic women, with her lead over Sanders shrinking from 45 points to 19 points in that group. Her support went from 64%-19% last month to 54%-35% now.

Clinton still beats Sanders 52%-37% overall among Democrats, though Sanders’ gains have cut into her lead, Monmouth found. And she has considerable support among important primary voting blocs. Voters over 50 prefer Clinton 64%-24%, and black and Latino voters side with her 71%-21%.

“With a shrinking margin, a strong showing by Sanders in Iowa and New Hampshire could cut Clinton’s national lead even more,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth survey. “However, he would still have to overcome Clinton’s demographic advantage in the ensuing contests.”

That means in places like South Carolina, Nevada and Super Tuesday states in the South where blacks and Latinos make up a sizable portion of the electorate. Murray points out that the same situation helped President Obama beat Clinton.

“It looks like the demographic that hurt Clinton in 2008 may be what helps her in 2016,” he said.

Last week, Sanders’ campaign announced it was launching a tour of historically black colleges and universities with stops in a number of Southern states.

The Monmouth measurement of Sanders’s support among young people resembles the results of a recent USA TODAY/Rock the Vote survey that found he leads Clinton 46%-35%, among millennial Democrats and independents.

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Sanders a hit with Millennial women