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POLL IN THAT PRIMARY BATTLE. THE EYEOPENER’S SERA CONGI IS LIVE IN MANCHESTER WITH THE RESULTS RELEASED OVERNIGHT. SERA: ATTENTION TURNING TO THE FIRST IN THE NATION PRIMARY HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. WE ARE REVEALING A NEW WCVB-UMASS AMHERST POLL. THIS SHOWS THAT BERNIE SANDERS IS THE CANDIDATE TO BEAT. OF THE 500 REGISTERED VOTERS ASKED WHO THEY WOULD SUPPORT IF THE PRIMARY WERE HELD TODAY, A QUARTER CHOSE SANDERS, FOLLOWED BY VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN PICKING UP THIRD WITH 17%. AND FORMER MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG AT 12%. AND HERE IS THE REST OF THE PACK ALL IN THE SINGLE DIGITS. 5% OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID THEY EITHER DIDN’T KNOW WHO THEY’D VOTE FOR OR WOULD MAKE ANOTHER CHOICE. AND IN THE FASHION OF TYPICAL GRANITE STATE INDEPENDENTS, 61% OF THOSE POLLED SAID THEY'

Advertisement Exclusive: Bernie Sanders leads in WCVB/UMass Amherst New Hampshire Primary poll Respondents seek candidate who can beat Trump Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Four Democratic candidates lead the race to win the first-in-the-nation presidential primary in New Hampshire next week, according to a new, exclusive poll from WCVB and UMass Amherst.The poll of 500 registered, likely Democratic voters, asked which candidate would you support if the primary were held today.NH Primary FrontrunnersSen. Bernie Sanders led the pack with 25 percent, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden at 20 percent, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 17 percent, and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg garnering 12 percent from the respondents.Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and businessman Tom Steyer each had 5 percent, businessman Andrew Yang got 4 percent, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, former Rep. John Delaney and Sen. Michael Bennet each received zero percent. Five percent of those polled said they either didn’t know who they would vote for or would choose someone else.Despite Sanders leading the pack, 61 percent of those polled said there is still a chance they may vote for someone other than who they would support right now.When asked to rank their first, second and third choices of who they would be willing to vote for instead, 22 percent said Sanders, followed by 16 percent for Warren and Buttigieg and 15 percent for Biden.Choosing a General Election CandidateWhen it comes to choosing a candidate to vote for in the general election, 36 percent said the most important quality in that decision is who has the best chance of beating President Donald Trump.Twenty-one percent would choose a candidate who best represents their views on the issues; 19 percent are seeking the candidate who is the most honest and trustworthy; and 11 percent are looking for the strongest leader. Despite Sanders leading the pack in the New Hampshire presidential primary, the poll respondents believed that Biden (31%) is the candidate most likely to defeat Trump in the 2020 general election. Sanders was second with 23 percent, followed by Warren at 14 percent. All other candidates polled in the single digits, with zero percent believing that Patrick could defeat the current President. Respondents were also presented with a list of Democratic leaders and asked which one they believe best embodies the ideals and values for which the party stands. Twenty-eight percent chose former President Barack Obama; 18 percent said Sanders; 12 percent chose Biden; 11 percent said Warren; and 10 percent chose Buttigieg.Candidate Word AssociationThe group that was surveyed was asked for the one word each person would use to describe each of several candidates:The WCVB/UMass Amherst poll was conducted online from Jan. 17 to Jan. 29. The poll has a margin of error of +/-5.3 percent.NOTE: The poll results are embargoed to outside media until full, detailed results are released on Wednesday.