Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has opened a 27-point lead over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, according to a CNN/WMUR poll released Tuesday.
The poll, mostly conducted before the candidates debated Sunday night, showed support for Sanders at 60 percent in New Hampshire, compared to only 33 percent for Clinton. This represents a significant increase in an already strong lead for Sanders since the last CNN/WMUR poll in December, which showed him at 50 percent and Clinton at 40 percent.
Sanders’ lead was strongest among independent voters who planned to participate in the Democratic primary, 70 percent of whom supported him as opposed to 25 percent for Clinton. Nevertheless, since the November/December poll he has also pulled ahead among registered Democrats, who supported him by 50 percent, with 41 percent for Clinton. These results are consistent with a majority of New Hampshire polling, which has generally suggested a clear lead for Sanders, although this margin is among the widest recorded. It stands in stark contrast to nationwide polls, which have continued to favor Clinton even as her campaign has faced serious challenges from Sanders in New Hampshire and Iowa.
The poll surveyed 420 likely Democratic primary voters from Jan. 13-18 using live telephone interviews, and had a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points.
