A new Quinnipiac University survey of voters in Iowa has Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders with a one-point lead on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
Sanders had a narrow 41-40 lead in the new poll. A July Quinnipiac poll in Iowa had Clinton with a 52-33 lead on Sanders.
Vice President Joe Biden registered at 12 percent in the September Quinnipiac poll. Biden hasn’t declared any intent to run for the Democratic nomination.
Sanders has become “the Eugene McCarthy of 2016,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, referencing the late Minnesota U.S. senator who ran an upstart, ultimately unsuccessful, left-of-center campaign for the Democratic nomination in 1968.
“Sanders has seized the momentum by offering a message more in line with disproportionately liberal primary and caucus voters,” Brown said.
“But unlike the late Sen. McCarthy, who came on strong just before the 1968 primaries, Sen. Sanders has seized the momentum five months before voting begins in Iowa. History will eventually tell us whether he has made such a large move too soon,” Brown added.
Sanders is viewed favorably by 78 percent of Iowa Democratic voters, with 6 percent viewing him unfavorably. Clinton has a 76-20 favorable split, and Biden is at 79-8 on the favorable scale.
– Story by Chris Graham
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