Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a substantial advantage over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in most of the 12 states where Democrats will vote in early March, according to a Public Policy Polling polls released Wednesday.
The polls showed Clinton leading in 10 of the 12 states, most of which are in the South, with a double-digit lead in nine of them. She leads by 10 percentage points or more in Alabama (59 percent to 31 percent), Arkansas (57-32), Georgia (60-26), Louisiana (60-29), Michigan (50-40), Mississippi (60-26), Tennessee (58-32), Texas (57-34) and Virginia (56-34), while leading in one closer race in Oklahoma (46-44) and losing in one in Massachusetts (42-49). The only strong lead for Sanders in the states polled was in his home state of Vermont, where he stood at 86 percent to Clinton’s 10 percent.
The PPP poll shows much stronger support for Clinton among black voters than for Sanders, reflecting a potential shift in the political dynamic of their race as it moves into states with more diverse populations than early-voting Iowa and New Hampshire. In states where the black voting population exceeds the national average, the poll shows that Clinton leads among black voters by consistently crushing margins. Sanders strongest showing with this demographic is in Texas, where he trails Clinton by 40 percentage points. His weakest is in Arkansas, where Clinton leads by 62 percentage points.
The PPP poll was carried out from Feb. 14-16. Each state had a different population size and margin of error, which are accessible with the topline results.
