Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s longstanding national lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders has just about entirely evaporated, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University.
According to the poll, Clinton is supported by 44 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, while Sanders has the backing of 42 percent. Clinton’s small lead is inside the poll’s 4.5 percent margin of error and it’s the smallest she’s ever had in the entire race, based on polls recorded by Real Clear Politics.
Notably, the latest result wipes out a massive 31 point lead Clinton had the last time Quinnipiac polled the race in late December, suggesting her narrow and controversial victory in the Iowa caucuses could have tremendously sapped her momentum.
The poll also suggests that, contrary to widespread belief, Sanders may be the more electable of the two Democrats. In head-to-head matchups against each of the three Republican frontrunners, Sanders had a 10-point lead over Donald Trump, a four-point lead over Sen. [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore], and was tied with Sen. [crscore]Marco Rubio[/crscore]. Clinton, in contrast, edged Trump by just five points, tied Cruz, and trailed Rubio by seven points.
Still, the poll could simply be a major outlier. A poll by Public Policy Polling released Thursday, which also post-dates the Iowa caucuses, showed Clinton with a 21-point lead. Still, Sanders has reason for optimism, especially since he is expected to easily win New Hampshire, which could generate national momentum.
The poll had a sample size of 1,125 registered voters, including 484 Democrats as well as 507 Republicans. It was conducted from Feb. 2-4.
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