Why Clinton Can’t Afford to Take Her Eyes Off Bernie Sanders
Policy + Politics

Why Clinton Can’t Afford to Take Her Eyes Off Bernie Sanders

Just when it looks like the Democratic presidential primary has gone on autopilot, several new polls suggest that Hillary Clinton had better keep an eye on Bernie Sanders.

A Bloomberg Politics survey released Thursday finds that the Vermont senator is the top choice for 49 percent of Democrats who have voted or intend to vote in their primary contests. Clinton garners 48 percent, while 3 percent say they are unsure.

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The Bloomberg poll offers further evidence that the former secretary of state continues to struggle on issues of trustworthiness and her relationship to Wall Street, a topic Sanders has used to drive home his message of economic inequality. Just a quarter of likely Democratic voters said Clinton is the most honest candidate, while 64 percent picked Sanders.

More than 60 percent of voters also said Sanders would do more to curb Wall Street.

There are some nuggets of good news in the polls for Clinton as Democrats gets ready to vote in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington this weekend. She leads Sanders 50 percent to 47 percent among those who have yet to vote in a primary or caucus, a sign that her march the party’s nomination is still on track. And she enjoys a three-to-one advantage over Sanders on the issue of terrorism.

Related: With Arizona Win, Clinton Needs a Little More Than 600 Delegates to Clinch It

Clinton has 1,690 of the 2,383 delegates needed to become the party’s nominee, while Sanders has 946, according to an Associated Press tracker.

However, there could be a rough patch ahead for Clinton in the general election, if Republicans somehow end up selecting Ohio Gov. John Kasich as their candidate.

In hypothetical match-ups, Sanders beats Republican frontrunner Donald Trump by 24 points, holds a 12-point lead over Ted Cruz and a 4-point edge over Kasich among likely voters. Clinton bests Trump and Cruz by 18 and 9 points, respectively -- but trails Kasich by 4 points.

Related: Sanders’ Attacks on Clinton’s Foreign Policy Could Help Trump

The former New York senator fares slightly better in a new Fox News poll. She receives 55 percent support for the nomination among Democratic primary voters, to Sanders 42 percent. That’s a reversal from over a month ago, when the former first lady trailed by 3 points.

Sanders can continue to hound Clinton with wins in this weekend’s caucuses. Very little polling has been conducted in the three states, and Sanders’ camp is confident it can sweep all three and collect the 142 delegates at stake.

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