Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:22 am
While it has become a popular media narrative to portray the Hillary Clinton campaign as being in deep trouble, a Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey released on September 22nd puts that spin into question. The latest PPP poll finds Hillary Clinton comfortably ahead of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 43 percent to 22 percent, with Joe Biden in third place at 17 percent.
Without Biden in the race, Clinton’s lead expands to an even more impressive 50-25 spread, which is virtually unchanged from the 52-25 advantage she held over Sanders a month ago. While it is true that Sanders has taken the lead in New Hampshire, he has been unable to catch Clinton in Iowa. Nor do his national numbers match Clinton’s yet.
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Although Clinton has endured months of negative press surrounding the largely imaginary e-mail scandal, she remains popular with Iowa Democrats. Her 65-23 favorable rating is quite similar to Sanders 56-20 rating, meaning both candidates are well-liked by Iowa Democratic voters.
Where Clinton is beating Sanders most decisively is with women voters, where she leads 48 to 19 percent, and with voters 65 and older, where Clinton has a 49 to 15 advantage. Female voters and seniors are overwhelmingly backing Clinton in Iowa, making it difficult for Sanders to close the gap.
With the Iowa caucuses still many weeks away, the Clinton campaign should not assume victory is a given, as Sanders has plenty of time to make up ground. However, what the current polling does suggest, is that pundits who characterize Iowa as a toss-up between the two candidates, are ignoring the reality on the ground. At this stage in the campaign, Iowa is not a toss-up. Clinton has a solid lead over both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.
Whatever toll the bogus e-mail scandal has taken on Hillary Clinton’s popularity, it has not yet done much to damage her standing in Iowa. If the Iowa caucuses were held now, Clinton would win in a cake walk.
Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick’s successful re-election bid in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.
