Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) is gaining on Hillary Clinton among a key demographic group as the race for the Democratic nomination for president tightens.
Sanders is closing the gap with Clinton among female Democratic voters nationwide, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. Currently, Sanders holds 41 percent support among female likely primary voters, just 6 points shy of Clinton’s 47 percent. Eleven percent are undecided.
An identical survey released less than two weeks ago found that Sanders maintained 38 percent support among female Democrats and Hillary Clinton had 48 percent. The gap between the two candidates among women has therefore nearly halved, shrinking from 10 points to 6 points.
The poll also found that Clinton and Sanders are locked in a statistical tie nationally, the former holding 44 percent of the Democratic primary vote and the latter 42 percent, figures that are unchanged from the February 5 survey. Eleven percent of Democrats remain undecided, indicating that the race could go either way.
Clinton has weathered a rocky start to the primary race. The former secretary of state narrowly beat Sanders in the Iowa caucus, losing to him significantly among younger voters in the state. A week later, Sanders bested Clinton by 22 points in New Hampshire, leading her among almost all demographic groups, including women.
The two candidates will next meet in the Nevada Democratic caucus Saturday, which polls indicate will be a close race. A CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday found that Clinton and Sanders are locked in a dead heat among likely caucusgoers, Clinton capturing 48 percent of the vote and Sanders winning 47 percent. The results reflected those of a Washington Free Beacon poll released Friday, which found that the two candidates were tied at 45 percent each.
Democrats are concerned about Clinton’s trustworthiness as the controversy surrounding her use of private email to conduct government business at the State Department continues to unfold. According to the latest national poll, more than a third of likely Democratic primary voters do not believe Clinton to be honest and trustworthy. Only 10 percent say the same of her challenger.
Clinton’s email use is the subject of an FBI investigation.