Trump sanders take solid leads in first primary contests

Though many party insiders have long expected that Sanders could win New Hampshire, the first-primary state, the close race in Iowa has the Clinton campaign scrambling with a little more than a week to go before the caucuses. Her latest tactic? Asking if he is now, or has ever been, a member of the Communist Party.

In Indianola Thursday morning, Clinton stood at a lectern and used a teleprompter to give a more formal speech than she normally offers on the stump. “…Sen. Sanders has been in Congress for 25 years; he’s introduced his health care plan nine times“. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, a Clinton supporter who has warned about Sanders’ electability. As the Hill writes, Sanders said: “One of the things that my opponent Secretary Clinton is saying is that Bernie is unelectable”.

Concerning Democratic presidential candidates, Sanders’ popularity in Iowa has grown 20 percent since a similar poll in August 2015, from 31 percent to the current 51 percent.

Her failed health care attacks and inability to match Sanders on economic issues have left her with few options to attack Sanders on.

After an Iowa town-hall event Tuesday, Sanders made the point to reporters that former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served under President George W. Bush, also had foreign-policy experience.

“I believe that we can wage an election on what is achievable, what is smart and what is workable”, she said.

Many of those in attendance tonight said they were still undecided about who they would caucus for in 11 days, but that Lovato’s endorsement of Clinton wouldn’t sway them either way.

Since Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate, where Sanders suggested normalizing relations with Iran, Clinton’s campaign has looked to cast Sanders as a foreign policy lightweight.

Clinton also has an advantage over Sanders among Iowa’s registered Democrats, pollsters found. She receives 54 percent support to his 42 percent. She will be back in New Hampshire next week.

In her second presidential bid, a defeat in Iowa could be considered a major setback for the Clinton campaign, as this is traditionally expected to set the pace and tone of the rest of the presidential season. Cruz holds an edge as the one who would better handle social issues, however, with 29 percent to Trump’s 18 percent, while 12 percent name Rubio, 10 percent Carson and 9 percent former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Brock attacked the Vermont senator over a Sanders campaign ad that Brock claimed was a “significant slight to the Democratic base”.