Bernie Sanders is preferred to Hillary Clinton by the vast majority of younger Democratic voters in Iowa, latest polling shows.
Nearly 8 in 10 likely Iowa Democratic caucus goers between the ages of 18 and 44 name Sen. Sanders (I., Vt.) as their choice for the nomination less than a week before the caucuses take place, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. Clinton maintains support among only 21 percent of voters in this bracket.
At the age of 74, Sanders is six years Clinton’s senior.
Sanders leads Clinton in the early-voting state overall with 49 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 45 percent, a figure that is virtually unchanged from a Quinnipiac survey released earlier this month. Other polls have indicated that Sanders’ lead over Clinton in Iowa is even stronger.
Sanders is the preferred candidate by wide margins among male Iowa Democrats and likely caucus goers who make an annual salary of $50,000 or less.
However, Clinton does have an edge over Sanders among voters in the age bracket to which they both belong, winning support from 71 percent of Iowa Democrats age 65 and up to Sanders’ 21 percent.
Clinton faces a significant challenge among voters in the state who value honesty and trust. Among Iowa Democrats who name honesty the most important characteristic for the party’s nominee, 76 percent support Sanders, while only 12 percent back Clinton. Even long-shot Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley comes close to Clinton in this category, receiving 8 percent support.
Clinton has struggled to assure voters of her honesty amid continued revelations about her use of private email to conduct government business while heading the State Department. A recent intelligence review concluded that several dozen of Clinton’s emails held classified information, according to a Fox News report last week.
Clinton has insisted that she never sent or received information marked classified on her personal email.
Democratic voters in Iowa have largely made up their minds when it comes to choosing the nominee. More than 8 in 10 voters say that they have finalized their decisions, while less than one-fifth may still change their minds.
Polls also forecast a strong win for Sanders in New Hampshire, the second early-voting state.