Bernie Sanders Takes Slim Lead over Hillary Clinton in New Iowa Poll

With 49 percent support, Sanders is seeing the highest support in any Iowa poll so far.

Hillary Clinton is sharpening her attacks on Bernie Sanders – and even her criticism of the Obama administration – as polls show her losing ground to her closest primary rival in key states.

In New Hampshire, a Monmouth poll puts Sanders up 14. The Clinton campaign now faces real concerns that it could lose both in Iowa and in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence will endorse Hillary Clinton for president Tuesday in Iowa, the former secretary of state’s campaign announced.

Other polls have shown Clinton ahead of Sanders in Iowa, but they similarly found Sanders closing the gap there.

“The inevitable candidate for the Democratic nomination may not be so inevitable today”, said Sanders, when asked about his standing in Iowa.

The polls add to mounting pressure on Mrs. Clinton, who was seen for months as an overwhelming favorite in the race, to avoid another upset from an insurgent Democratic challenger after her 2008 loss to Senator Barack Obama for the party’s nomination.

Vermont’s independent senator has been trailing Clinton in Iowa, the first state to weigh in on the Democratic nominee, since September. She now holds just a four point lead over Sanders. On Sunday, an NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist survey came out showing Clinton’s robust pre-Christmas lead in Iowa shrinking to 3 percent.

“What Bernie Sanders has to do is say that the Second Amendment says – which he has, of late – the Second Amendment says you can limit who can own a gun, that people who are criminals shouldn’t have guns”, Biden said.

Clinton’s critiques of Sanders on the campaign trail have intensified in recent days as the race narrows.

Nationally, today’s IBD/TIPP poll shows Hillary Clinton’s support has slipped eight points. Within the party, concerns remain whether Clinton can overcome questions surrounding her use of personal email while secretary of state and a lack of enthusiasm among voters. On Tuesday, Sanders also claimed an endorsement from the liberal grassroots group MoveOn.org Political Action. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

“Sen. Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the CHIP program, dismantle Medicare, and dismantle private insurance”, she said during a campaign stop in New Hampshire.