US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders now leads the party’s longtime front-runner Hillary Clinton by 14 points in the state of New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s first primary elections, according to the latest poll.
Among likely New Hampshire voters, 53 percent choose Sanders, compared to 39 percent who choose Clinton, the Monmouth University Poll found.
The new poll also shows that Clinton has lost her advantage over Sanders among registered Democrats, women and older voters.
Sanders has surpassed Clinton with these voters, while still leading among registered Independents, men and younger voters.
Along with the Iowa caucus, the New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections held in the United State every four years to choose the party nominees for the presidential elections to be held the following November.
The New Hampshire primary has been considered an early measurement of the national attitude toward the candidates for the US presidential nomination.
A Monmouth poll released two months ago showed that Clinton led Sanders 57 percent to 35 percent in New Hampshire.
The top issue that concerns Democratic voters in New Hampshire is the economy and jobs (29 percent), followed by national security and terrorism (14 percent).
Sanders’ emphasis on US income inequality and the influence of corporate money on elections as well as on the US government has helped him attract large crowds on the campaign trail.
Nationally, Clinton still remains the front-runner candidate among Democratic candidates for US president, but that might change in the near future as Sanders has been rapidly gaining in several high-profile polls.