Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton might be struggling against a surge of support for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and the prospective candidacy of Vice President Joe Biden — but she’s doing just fine in Iowa, according to a new poll.
Suffolk University found Clinton easily dominating the field among Hawk Eye State Democrats, with 54% supporting her. Sanders trailed far behind with 20% support and Biden, who is said to be leaning toward a run, landed with 11%. The poll of 500 likely caucusgoers, which was conducted Aug. 20-24 and carries a 4.4% margin of error, found the other Democratic candidates trailing in the single digits.
But Clinton still faces concerns about her trustworthiness and emails, even among supporters, according to the poll. The email controversy will hurt her chances in November, according to 52% of the respondents.
“There is a fierce loyalty to Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa,” David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said in a statement. “Despite reports suggesting her vulnerability, these Democratic voters say they don’t believe she broke the law. They are sticking by her in large numbers, even though a majority believes the email scandal will hurt her in the general election.”
The poll also found high favorability for Biden, suggesting strong support should he run. Pollsters also found women driving Clinton’s dominance of the Iowa field, with 58% of women going for Clinton, 18% for Sanders and 15% for Biden.
The picture is not as rosy for Clinton in New Hampshire, where a recent Boston Herald poll saw Sanders knock her from her perch there. The latest CNN/ORC poll found Sanders continuing to claw away at Clinton’s support, trailing just 29% to Clinton’s 47%.