Sanders leads Clinton in Wisconsin ahead of crucial vote: Poll

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has a 2-point lead over front-runner Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin ahead of Tuesday’s voting which is being seen as a make-or-break for the candidates.

Sanders has the support of 49 percent of likely Democratic voters, while Clinton has the backing of 47 percent, according to a CBS News Battleground Tracker poll released on Sunday.

The poll of 1,501 registered voters was conducted between March 29 and April 1. It has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.

However, the polling aggregate site FiveThirtyEight now lists Sanders as the 70 percent favorite based on polls conducted in Wisconsin, which with its 96 delegates is a must-win for the independent senator from Vermont.

Meanwhile, the former secretary of state is leading Sanders by 10 points, 53 to 43 percent, in her home state of New York, where voters will cast their ballots on April 19.

This poll was also conducted between March 29 and April 1. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

Sanders whose campaign was boosted by landslide victories in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii, is hoping to cut further into Clinton’s lead in this week's elections in the state.

Sanders believes his recent string of victories shows he can not only win the Democratic nomination, but also succeed in the general presidential election against the Republican nominee.

According to a CNN/ORC survey last month, Sanders has a 20-point lead over Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in a head-to-head contest. Clinton held a 12-point lead over Trump in the same survey.

Clinton is getting 'very nervous'

Sanders told ABC News on Sunday that he thinks he is the strongest candidate to defeat the Republican nominee, adding Clinton is getting "very nervous."

"I think the secretary is getting very nervous, that poll after poll shows us doing much better against Trump than she is," he said.

"The last CNN poll had us up by 20 points. Here in Wisconsin, I was 19 points ahead of Trump, also a significant margin better than she is," the senator added.

Sanders said the fact that he is an independent lawmaker makes his candidacy even stronger, adding that he thinks he can get "virtually all of the Democratic vote" and many of the independent vote in the general election.

"I think we've got a lot of young people's vote, working-class people's vote. I think we're on the way to a victory if we can win the Democratic nomination," he said.

Sanders reiterated he is the candidate in the best position to succeed in a general election because he has won states over the last few weeks by large margins.

Sanders has long been critical of US foreign policy and was an early opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clinton tends to be more hawkish and inclined to use military force.

Sanders, 74, is also a leading proponent of issues such as income inequality, universal healthcare, parental leave, climate change, and campaign finance reform in the US.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk