Exclusive NH Primary Tracking Poll: Sanders First, Buttigieg Second, Surging Klobuchar Third

BOSTON (CBS) – This New Hampshire primary has been a rollercoaster ride, with one last hairpin turn in the final night of the exclusive WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University tracking poll.

Bernie Sanders appears to be cementing his hold on first place with 27 percent, while Pete Buttigieg, who had surged into a virtual tie with Sanders as the week ended, in second with 19 percent.

And Amy Klobuchar continues her momentum from last night with a 14 percent showing, good for third place. However, she is still within the poll’s 4.4 percent margin of error of Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, who placed within a fraction of each other in fourth and fifth place.

READ MORE: NH Tracking Poll | Crosstabs

In addition to these statewide numbers, Suffolk has also been polling the city of Dover, a so-called bellwether community that has foreshadowed the statewide order of finish in the last three contested Democratic primaries. And their response to our poll seems to confirm the statewide trend.

The Dover polling has Sanders and Buttigieg closer together, finishing first and second within the 5.6 percent margin of error of each other. But running solidly in third is Klobuchar, an also-ran in our poll all week who has seemingly picked up steam off a widely-acclaimed debate performance Friday night.

READ MORE: Dover, NH Tracking Poll | Dover, NH Crosstabs

Joe Biden came in fourth, just barely ahead of Elizabeth Warren, both within reach of Klobuchar but with a showing that has to be a disappointment for both of them.

“This is the first time all of the survey is post-debate,” notes David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “Whether Klobuchar’s spike is temporary remains to be seen. Sanders’ improvement comes in two areas: the West/North region – the four counties that know him best – and people torn between him and Warren. If Klobuchar were to finish third or fourth, she’s going to knock someone into that fifth spot, a real dire place to be for Biden or Warren.”

Of course, the only poll that really matters is the one in the voting booth on Tuesday, so get out and vote and then watch your vote count with our special primary night coverage starting at 8 p.m. on TV38 with a full wrapup on WBZ News at 11.

The exclusive WBZ-TV/Boston Globe/Suffolk University tracking poll is a two-day rolling sample of 500 likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters.