Hillary Clinton continues to gain ground against her presidential rivals in key polls. Surveys released this week show Clinton regaining the lead in New Hampshire, dominating in Iowa, and opening a two-to-one national lead over her closest rival, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.
A strong showing at the Democratic debate, vice president Joe Biden’s decision not to challenge her for the presidency, and her performance before the House Select Committee on Benghazi have all contributed to a spike in Clinton’s poll numbers over the last three weeks. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday shows her earning 62 percent support among likely Democratic primary voters to Sanders’s 31 percent. It’s a four-point increase from the lead she held in mid-October, when she had 58 percent support to Sanders’s 33.
A Monmouth poll also released Tuesday gives Clinton 48 percent support in New Hampshire to Sanders’s 45 percent — a razor-thin lead, but the first time in months she’s come out on top in a state next-door to Sanders’ native Vermont. If it holds, it would be a body blow to the Sanders campaign, which has led Clinton in the Granite State since late August.
Clinton is especially dominant in Iowa, breaking away from her September tie with Sanders in the early-voting state to establish a commanding lead. A Public Policy Polling survey released Monday shows her at 57 percent support to Sanders’s 25 percent in the Hawkeye State, buttressing two polls from last week that had her leading the self-described socialist senator by 40 points there.
#share#There still appears to be a key gap in the Clinton battle line, however: She’s struggling to connect with younger Democratic voters. An NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll released last Friday had her earning the support of just 33 percent of likely voters aged 18 to 29 across the country, while Sanders received 48 percent support. Even in Iowa, Clinton edges out Sanders in the 18 to 29 demographic by just three percentage points.
#related#The Hill reports that the Clinton campaign aims to make up the deficit by reaching out to young women, who they worry are attracted to Sanders’s attacks on “millionaires and billionaires.” Clinton has packed her schedule with events calibrated to appeal to Millennial women — sitting down for interviews with Lena Dunham and two websites — Refinery 29 and The Skimm — skewed toward the demographic. Pop star Katy Perry headlined a Clinton rally last month, and Clinton will appear at a fundraiser with singer Christina Aguilera this week.
— Brendan Bordelon is a political reporter for National Review.