Two new polls released Tuesday say that Hillary Clinton has opened up a wide lead over rival Bernie Sanders in Iowa.
A Loras College poll, conducted last week, says that Clinton leads Sanders, 62 percent to 24 percent. Meanwhile, a poll by New Jersey-based Monmouth University says Clinton leads Sanders, 65 percent to 24 percent.
The big margins in the two polls stand in contrast to surveys conducted a bit earlier in the month that indicated a tighter race between Clinton, a former secretary of state, and Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont.
A Quinnipiac University Poll, released last week, had Clinton up by 11. A survey by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics, generally considered the most reliable caucus poll in the state, had Clinton leading by 7.
All the new polls come amid a flurry of developments in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Two weeks ago, the Democratic candidates had their first debate. And last week, Vice President Joe Biden announced that he wouldn’t run for president, while Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee dropped their bids. Clinton also testified before the House committee investigating the attack on Benghazi in 2012.
“Most media accounts indicated Clinton performed well in the recent debate; she benefited most from the decision of Vice President Biden and stood up well during the congressional hearing,” Christopher Budzisz, associate professor of politics and director of the Loras College Poll, said Tuesday. “Our poll numbers certainly echo that it has been a good stretch for Clinton. Only time and further polling will confirm how well Clinton is successfully consolidating support within the Democratic electorate here in Iowa.”
The last Loras poll, in late August, had Clinton up by 31 points.
The third person in the race, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, was at 3 percent in its latest poll.
The Loras poll sampled the opinions of 500 likely Democratic caucus-goers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The Monmouth poll of 400 likely Democratic caucus-goers has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
The Loras poll was conducted last week, from Monday through Thursday. The Monmouth poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday.
Both Clinton and Sanders are viewed in an overwhelmingly positive light among Democrats, the polls say.
The Loras poll said that 83 percent of Iowa Democrats had a favorable impression of Clinton, and 71 percent had a positive impression of Sanders.
The Monmouth poll said 88 percent of its respondents had a favorable view of Clinton, and 77 percent saw Sanders positively.
The Monmouth poll also said that Iowa Democrats are beginning to settle on their choice for the Feb. 1, 2016, caucus. The poll said that 40 percent of respondents had “completely settled” on a candidate, while 37 percent said they had a strong preference but were willing to change their minds.
The rest were undecided or had only a slight preference, the poll said.
The Register/Bloomberg poll was conducted Oct. 16-19, while the Quinnipiac poll was done Oct. 14-20. The Register/Bloomberg survey also reallocated Biden supporters to Clinton and Sanders depending on who their second choice was.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/n...w-polls-show-clinton-leading-sanders-20151027
A Loras College poll, conducted last week, says that Clinton leads Sanders, 62 percent to 24 percent. Meanwhile, a poll by New Jersey-based Monmouth University says Clinton leads Sanders, 65 percent to 24 percent.
The big margins in the two polls stand in contrast to surveys conducted a bit earlier in the month that indicated a tighter race between Clinton, a former secretary of state, and Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont.
A Quinnipiac University Poll, released last week, had Clinton up by 11. A survey by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics, generally considered the most reliable caucus poll in the state, had Clinton leading by 7.
All the new polls come amid a flurry of developments in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Two weeks ago, the Democratic candidates had their first debate. And last week, Vice President Joe Biden announced that he wouldn’t run for president, while Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee dropped their bids. Clinton also testified before the House committee investigating the attack on Benghazi in 2012.
“Most media accounts indicated Clinton performed well in the recent debate; she benefited most from the decision of Vice President Biden and stood up well during the congressional hearing,” Christopher Budzisz, associate professor of politics and director of the Loras College Poll, said Tuesday. “Our poll numbers certainly echo that it has been a good stretch for Clinton. Only time and further polling will confirm how well Clinton is successfully consolidating support within the Democratic electorate here in Iowa.”
The last Loras poll, in late August, had Clinton up by 31 points.
The third person in the race, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, was at 3 percent in its latest poll.
The Loras poll sampled the opinions of 500 likely Democratic caucus-goers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The Monmouth poll of 400 likely Democratic caucus-goers has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
The Loras poll was conducted last week, from Monday through Thursday. The Monmouth poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday.
Both Clinton and Sanders are viewed in an overwhelmingly positive light among Democrats, the polls say.
The Loras poll said that 83 percent of Iowa Democrats had a favorable impression of Clinton, and 71 percent had a positive impression of Sanders.
The Monmouth poll said 88 percent of its respondents had a favorable view of Clinton, and 77 percent saw Sanders positively.
The Monmouth poll also said that Iowa Democrats are beginning to settle on their choice for the Feb. 1, 2016, caucus. The poll said that 40 percent of respondents had “completely settled” on a candidate, while 37 percent said they had a strong preference but were willing to change their minds.
The rest were undecided or had only a slight preference, the poll said.
The Register/Bloomberg poll was conducted Oct. 16-19, while the Quinnipiac poll was done Oct. 14-20. The Register/Bloomberg survey also reallocated Biden supporters to Clinton and Sanders depending on who their second choice was.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/n...w-polls-show-clinton-leading-sanders-20151027
