Bernie Sanders has more than three times the support among young likely participants in the Iowa Democratic Caucus than that of challenger Hillary Clinton.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, 66 percent of 18-to 34-year-old Iowa Democrats likely to caucus in February plan to vote for 74-year-old Sanders, about 3.5 times the 19 percent who back former secretary of State Clinton.
Among all Democrats likely to caucus, Sanders maintains a slight lead over Clinton, winning 41 percent of the vote to her 40 percent. However, the independent Vermont senator’s support is fiercest among the younger sectors of Democratic voters in the state, while Clinton, 67, holds an edge with those over age 50.
The youngest sector of likely Democratic Caucus participants in the state are also much more likely than their older counterparts to name Clinton as a candidate who they definitely would not support for the nomination, as 20 percent identify the former secretary of state as such.
Moreover, a plurality of these 18-to-34-year-old Democrats--49 percent--view Clinton as not trustworthy as she continues to battle controversy surrounding her use of a private email account while working in the Obama administration. Only 47 percent label Clinton trustworthy.
Unsurprisingly, these young Democratic Iowans are most likely among age groups to have an unfavorable view of Clinton.
The poll results come just a day after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) praised Sanders for his particular appeal among younger liberal voters that she witnessed on the West Coast during the August recess.
"I was going right down that trail and it was just amazing to see," Pelosi told journalists in her Washington, D.C., office, according to The Hill. "Parents would come to me and say, ‘I’m for Hillary, I’m for this one, I’m for that one, [but] my kids are all for Bernie Sanders.’
"It’s a younger demographic, and I think that it’s really good for the country [and] certainly for the Democratic Party for him to attract people to the polls," Pelosi said. She has yet to formally endorse a Democratic candidate for president.
Sanders has enjoyed similar surges in other states such as New Hampshire, where he is currently leading Clinton.