Bernie Sanders nearly pulled off an upset of Hillary Clinton in a picnic "straw poll" of Democrats in Sussex and Warren counties.

By ROB JENNINGS

rjennings@njherald.com

Bernie Sanders nearly pulled off an upset of Hillary Clinton in a picnic "straw poll" of Democrats in Sussex and Warren counties.

The outcome on Sunday was another sign that Sanders’ longshot Democratic presidential primary challenge to Clinton is resonating with party activists.

Clinton — the former first lady, U.S. senator from New York and secretary of state — received 37 votes, Sussex County Democratic Committee Chair Leslie Huhn said.

Sanders, the junior senator from Vermont, had 35 votes.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is not running, received three votes. Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, a recently declared candidate, had two votes.

Three participating in the straw poll were undecided, Huhn said.

Sanders — an independent who caucuses with Democrats and is far to the left of Clinton — has been closing the gap in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary in the 2016 race.

Though attracting large crowds and much media attention, Sanders remains a decided underdog in the race.

Asked about the result, Warren County Democratic Chair Tom Palmieri said, "I think Bernie is going to give Hillary a better run than anybody expected."

Huhn and Palmieri, when asked, said they are not ready to make a endorsement in the presidential race. Palmieri said he was so busy collecting voting slips that he forgot to vote in the poll.

Palmieri said his original plan was to take a poll at the July 4th parade but that, due to rainy weather, only three Democrats showed up.

"This time, I had a captive audience," Palmieri said.

Sunday was the first Sussex/Warren Democratic picnic. It was free of charge and held at Sand Bar Park in Hackettstown.

Democrats are in the minority in Sussex and Warren, two of the state’s strongest Republican counties.

Rob Jennings also can be contacted on Twitter: @RJenningsNJH or by phone: 973-383-1230.