Hillary Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon blamed Clinton’s low New Hampshire poll numbers on Hillary-centric Republican attacks Tuesday.
"It’s no small thing that the Republican fire has been aimed at Hillary Clinton," Fallon said. "That's been true of all the Republican candidates that have been stumping throughout New Hampshire."
Fallon lowered expectations for the primary results, calling the process of winning supporters an "uphill climb."
"Most of the public polls show us trailing by double digits … but we're going to work our heart out," Fallon said. "We're trying to cut into his lead, but it's going to be uphill climb."
He pinned Bernie Sanders’ strong showing in New Hampshire on his experience in Congress, especially his time serving as senator in neighboring Vermont.
"Over the course of 25 years in Congress, which is, you know, true for Senator Sanders, he likes to talk about the fact that he's running against the establishment," Fallon said, knocking Sanders for his claims that he is not part of the establishment. "He happens to have served in Congress for 25 years."
"He’s a known quantity here," Fallon said.
Fallon’s accusation echoes Clinton’s 1998 claim that a "vast, right-wing conspiracy" exists, and that this conspiracy is out to get her and her husband. Clinton revived this claim in early February at a CNN town hall.
"There is no doubt about who the players are, what they're trying to achieve... It's real, and we're going to beat it," Clinton said, adding that the right wing is now "even better funded" than before.