Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enters the first contest of the 2016 presidential election as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Whether she remains there may depend on the results of the Iowa caucuses on Monday.

Clinton leads U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley in the race to be their party's standard-bearer. Nationally, she leads Sanders, 52 percent to 37 percent, with O'Malley in third place with 2 percent, according to a Real Clear Politics poll average.

In Iowa, Clinton leads Sanders, 47 percent to 44 percent, with O'Malley with 4 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics average.

Sanders has been gaining on Clinton, who still faces questions about her use of a private e-mail server. He has attacked Wall Street and called for universal health care for all Americans.

Given Sanders' 14-point poll average lead in the first primary state of New Hampshire, a neighboring state to Vermont, Clinton needs a victory in Iowa to avoid losing the first two contests and perhaps give up her front-runner status.

What about you? Who do you think will win the Iowa caucuses? Vote in the informal, unscientific poll below.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.