Poll: Sanders Pulls Ahead Of Buttigieg In New Hampshire

With Iowa finally behind them, the Democratic candidates are looking ahead to New Hampshire, which is set to vote in the primary on Tuesday. Fresh polling numbers show Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., pulling out ahead of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with a healthy lead.

New survey results from WBZ-4 / Boston Globe / Suffolk University reveal a major surge for Sanders, who just a week ago was tied virtually neck-and-neck with Buttigieg. Now he’s enjoying 27 percent support, 8 points ahead of Buttigieg’s 19 percent. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is at 14 percent, bringing her up to the third spot.

Both former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are virtually tied at fourth place.

Speaking about the poll, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center David Paleologos found Klobuchar’s rise worth noting. “Whether Klobuchar’s spike is temporary remains to be seen … if Klobuchar were to finish third or fourth, she’s going to knock someone into that fifth spot, a real dire place to be for Biden or Warren,” Paleologos said.

The polling was done entirely after the Democratic debate on Friday, and would seem to be a reflection of each candidates’ performance. In general, the strongest performances were seen to have come from Sanders and Klobuchar – both of whom experienced substantial polling bumps in New Hampshire.

Biden, whose numbers have stagnated in the Granite State, was viewed by many as having delivered a lackluster performance Friday night.

Right now, Buttigieg is just narrowly leading Sanders in delegates after the Democratic Party in Iowa officially awarded 14 to the former South Bend mayor and 12 to the Vermont senator. Sanders’ campaign, however, is requesting a partial recanvass which they believe will transfer one delegate from Buttigieg to Sanders. Officials do not seem likely to permit this, though.

New Hampshire has 33 delegates up for grabs. Unlike Iowa, New Hampshire has a semi-closed primary where voters voice their preferences via ballot. After the quagmire that surrounded the Iowa caucus, Democrats are no doubt looking forward to a more straightforward process.