Sen. Bernie Sanders drew an estimated 3,000 people to a boisterous rally here Sunday night at the University of New Hampshire, about five times as many people as rival Hillary Clinton attracted to an event two days ago at the same campus, the Washington Post reports.
Said Sanders: “You may not know this, but what you’re part of tonight is the largest turnout for any presidential candidate in New Hampshire.”
A new WBUR poll in New Hampshire finds Bernie Sanders edging Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin, 35% to 31%. Joe Biden would earn 14 percent support, were he to jump in the race.
“Sanders’ lead is within the poll’s margin of error, but it is the fifth consecutive poll of New Hampshire showing Sanders with at least a nominal lead.”
A new Monmouth University poll in New Hampshire finds Sen. Bernie Sanders holds a 7 point lead over Hillary Clinton among likely primary voters, 43% to 36%.
Unannounced candidate Joe Biden holds 13%, with 2% supporting Martin O’Malley and 1% each for Lincoln Chafee, Larry Lessig, and Jim Webb. When the second choices of current Biden supporters are reallocated, Sanders still leads Clinton by 7 points, 48% to 41%.
A new Monmouth poll in New Hampshire finds Donald Trump maintains his sizable lead with 28%, followed by Ben Carson at 17%, John Kasich at 11%, Ted Cruz at 8%, Carly Fiorina at 7%, Jeb Bush at 7%, Rand Paul at 4% and Marco Rubio at 4%.
Said pollster Patrick Murray: “Once again, the three candidates who have never held political office combine for a majority of support in a GOP primary poll… It appears that GOP voters are using the 2016 nomination contest to air their grievances with party leadership.”
Hillary Clinton’s campaign “is preparing to ramp up operations in New Hampshire to halt Bernie Sanders’ advance and rescue a lead in a state so many Democrats had thought would be an easy win for the front-runner,” Politico reports.
“For Donald Trump, it wasn’t enough to upstage Jeb Bush by booking a town hall meeting at the same time as the former Florida governor. Trump had to attack him, too,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “Right down the road, we have Jeb — very small crowd. You know what’s happening to Jeb’s crowd right down the street? They’re sleeping now.”
New York Times: “In an apt sign of the enthusiasm imbalance, Fox News at one point cut away from Mr. Bush, midsentence, to focus on an empty lectern awaiting Mr. Trump.”
Washington Post: “The dynamic here reflects the extent of the broader tumult that has gripped the Republican race nationally, with 17 candidates vying for overlapping factions of the party. At the moment, the campaign is dominated by Trump and other political neophytes drawing enthusiastic crowds and preaching an anti-establishment message, although party strategists anticipate attention will shift to more traditional candidates eventually.”
“But for now, at least, Bush faces a squeeze. Ohio Gov. John Kasich is moving swiftly to take advantage of the former Florida governor’s difficulties and make inroads with the kind of mainstream voters who otherwise would migrate to Bush.”
A new Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll shows Sen. Bernie Sanders has rocketed past Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.
Sanders leads Clinton 44% to 37% among likely Democratic primary voters, with Joe Biden at 9%. The other announced Democrats in the race, Martin O’Malley, Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb barely register at 1 percent or below.
Washington Post: “Like many other GOP candidates, Walker is spending relatively little time campaigning in this state, which holds the nation’s first primary, banking instead on winning the Iowa caucuses and then stockpiling delegates in the South and elsewhere. Walker’s approach is a part of a broader trend that threatens to make New Hampshire less crucial than it has been in past contests, the result of an enormous GOP field, an increasingly nationalized primary race and a new cluster of early primary contests in the Republican-rich South.”
“New Hampshire Republicans say they have not seen much of Walker — or Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who skipped a candidate forum here on Monday night.”
The latest WMUR Granite State Poll finds Donald Trump is the top choice of 24% of likely GOP primary voters, doubling the support of Jeb Bush at 12% and Scott Walker at 11%, the only other candidate in double digits.
Key findings: “Not only has Trump surged to the head of the pack in New Hampshire, but also for the first time, he is now viewed favorably by more likely GOP primary voters than unfavorably. And, he is named as the candidate best able to handle key issues facing the nation, from the economy to terrorism, and from immigration to health care policy.”
Hillary Clinton “is set to air the first TV commercials of her presidential campaign—two spots that highlight her biography and motivation for running at a time when she is under fire and losing ground in some polls,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Her campaign plans to spend about $1 million each in Iowa and New Hampshire during five weeks, beginning Tuesday, aides said. The spots will air in the major media markets in these states, the first in the nation to hold nominating 2016 contests.”
The New York Times says the effort “is aimed at defining her candidacy ahead of a crush of Republican attack ads.”
A new NBC News-Marist poll in New Hampshire finds Donald Trump leads the Republican presidential field with 21%, followed by Jeb Bush at 14%, Scott Walker at 12%, John Kasich at 7%. Chris Christie at 6%, Ben Carson at 6%, Marco Rubio at 5% and Ted Cruz at 5%.
Gov. Scott Walker toured New Hampshire with former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The relationship stands to be beneficial for both men: Mr. Walker has access to a well-known surrogate who represents the moderate wing of New Hampshire Republicans; Mr. Brown gets to be seen as a player in presidential politics – he introduced Mr. Walker during his first campaign stop in New Hampshire last week.”
National Journal: “Maybe money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can buy the framework of a presidential campaign.”
“Just ask Donald Trump. The real-estate developer-turned reality TV star has never formally run for political office before, yet has put together a New Hampshire operation using a pretty simple plan: purchasing one off the shelf, in this case by hiring top staff away from Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity.”
My column in The Week: 2016 may finally kill the power of America’s early-voting states.
“As soon as he makes his presidential announcement tomorrow, Chris Christie will race to New Hampshire for a town hall. The embattled New Jersey governor has little choice: he has to go all-in on the Granite State,” Politico reports.
“Trouble is, he’s not alone. Jeb Bush and Rand Paul are also heavily invested in New Hampshire. So are a handful of GOP long-shots ranging from George Pataki to John Kasich, all of whom will be focusing their campaigns almost entirely on the first-in-the-nation primary state. Never before have so many White House hopefuls bet so much on a single primary.”
A new WMUR/CNN Granite State Poll finds Hillary Clinton with an 8 point lead over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race for president, 43% to 35%.
On the Republican side, the poll finds Jeb Bush remains on top at 16%, followed by Donald Trump at 11%, Rand Paul at 9%, Scott Walker at 8%, Marco Rubio at 6%, Carly Fiorina at 6%, Ben Carson at 5% and Chris Christie at 5%.
Two new Bloomberg polls find Sen. Bernie Sanders “is gaining on Hillary Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, with an appeal as an issue-oriented protest vehicle potentially capable of slowing any coronation of the popular front-runner.”
“In simultaneous surveys, the U.S. senator from Vermont received nearly a quarter of support from likely Democratic caucus and primary voters in the states that host the first presidential nomination balloting early next year, cutting sharply into Clinton’s still-huge lead. The polls suggest substantive and symbolic support for the socialist, as well as a craving among some Democrats for a Clinton rival to rise.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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