Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has a nine-point lead over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary race, according to a Suffolk University poll released Friday.
The poll shows Sanders leading the Democratic field in the state with the support of 50 percent of respondents. Clinton, by contrast, stood at 41 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley stood at 2 percent support, while 6 percent of voters were undecided.
The previous Suffolk poll of New Hampshire Democrats, carried out in October, showed a much tighter race with Clinton beating Sanders 37 percent to 35 percent. The dramatic shift since then is consistent with nearly all recent New Hampshire polling, as support for Sanders surged beginning in early January. Polls have indicated a similar surge for Sanders in Iowa, even as Clinton has remained the clear frontrunner in the majority of national polls.
The Suffolk poll was conducted from Jan. 19-21 by live telephone. Pollsters surveyed 500 likely Democratic primary voters, with a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
