Bernie Sanders polling strong in New Hampshire

Bernie Sanders is picking up steam in New Hampshire, according to recent polls.

The independent Vermont senator running for the Democratic nomination picked up 31 percent of the vote among likely Granite State Democratic primary voters, compared with 41 percent for Clinton, in a Suffolk University poll released Tuesday.


“Most political observers felt that Hillary Clinton’s large early lead among Democratic voters would eventually [shrink] a bit over time,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. “But in New Hampshire right now, the lead has shrunk a lot, and this is a much different Democratic primary race than we are seeing in other states so far.”

The results also suggest a gender gap between Clinton and Sanders that could play out in the primary matchup. Among female voters, 47 percent said they would vote for Clinton, while only 28 percent backed Sanders.

With men, however, Sanders leads, 35 percent to 32 percent. And among those who said that they “know both” of the candidates, Clinton’s advantage over Sanders grows slimmer: 38 percent to 35 percent.

The latest poll comes on the heels of a Morning Consult web survey over the weekend, which found Sanders trailing Clinton 44 percent to 32 percent, ahead of other presidential contenders Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb, Joe Biden and Lincoln Chafee.

The Suffolk poll was conducted June 11-15 among 500 likely Democratic presidential primary voters, carrying an overall margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.4 percentage points.