More Trouble for Hillary: Bernie Sanders Pulls Ahead of Clinton in Key Primary State Poll

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is no longer gaining on Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, he’s leading.

A Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll released Wednesday shows Sanders comfortably leading the former secretary of state by 44-37 in the state with the first primary.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The poll was taken from Aug. 7-10 of 442 New Hampshire likely voters. The poll has a 4.7 percent margin of error.

Vice President Joe Biden, not a declared candidate, got just 9 percent in the state. Three announced candidates, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee barely got 1 percent.

Despite poor numbers, 46 percent of likely Democratic primary voters say Biden should enter the race, while 42 percent believe he shouldn’t.

The poll was conducted before the most recent news that Clinton was handing her personal email server over to the FBI, which is investigating whether any of the messages she sent or received while serving as secretary of state had classified information.

The poll found just 35 percent of likely primary voters say they are excited about Clinton’s campaign, and 51 percent say they could support her but are not enthusiastic about her candidacy.

A WMUR poll earlier this month found Sanders and Clinton in a statistical tie in New Hampshire.

In March, the Franklin Pierce/Boston Herald poll showed Clinton leading Sanders 44 percent to 8 percent. So the socialist senator’s rise has been impressive for a candidate who has been drawing huge crowds across the country.

However, 65 percent of likely voters predict that Clinton will emerge as the eventual Democratic nominee.