Sanders holds on to lead in New Hampshire poll

Bernie Sanders is holding tight to his lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, according to a WBUR poll released Wednesday night.

The Vermont senator leads Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire 32 percent to Clinton’s 29 percent. Vice President Joe Biden—who has not announced a bid for the White House but has been openly flirting with the idea—comes in third with 12 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley barely registers with 1 percent.


The survey showed voters putting a lot of trust in Sanders and Biden, who both rated at 78 percent for “honest and trustworthy.” Ten percent of voters found Sanders untrustworthy and 13 percent saw Biden in that light.

Clinton, who is currently embroiled in a scandal over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, has a much lower number of people who see her as trustworthy—51 percent. The survey showed 40 percent of voters do not view her as honest or trustworthy.

The good news continues for Sanders, with 75 percent of those polled saying he understands the needs of everyday people. That’s compared to 72 percent for Biden and 61 percent for Clinton.

Biden leads on the question of who primary voters believe has the experience needed to become president, with 83 percent saying the vice president has that quality. But the former secretary of state is close (within the margin of error) with 81 percent. Sanders comes in third with 51 percent who see him as ready, while 34 percent do not.

But Clinton does lead in one category—the perceived ability to win in the general election. Fifty-six percent of voters see her making it all the way, while 29 percent do not. Biden comes in next with 10 percent less than Clinton at 46 percent, with 39 percent saying they can’t see him beating out the Republican candidate. And despite leading in the state, only 34 percent see Sanders as a future winner, while 48 percent can’t see him making it all the way.

The biggest winner out of the poll? President Barack Obama who leads all Democrats mentioned with a 71 percent favorability rating. Sanders comes in next with 66 percent, and Biden comes in third with 64 percent. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren beats Hillary with 58 percent to her 56 percent.

The poll was conducted from 404 likely Democratic primary voters by both landlines and cell phones Sept. 12-15. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.