Posted on by Jason Easley

The Bernie Sanders Surge Moves West As Nevada Caucus Is Tied At 45%

A new poll revealed that Bernie Sanders has erased Hillary Clinton’s double-digit lead and the race in Nevada is tied at 45%-45%.

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content/uploads/2016/02/nv-toplines.pdf">Washington Free Beacon/TargetPoint poll showed the candidates tied at 45% in Nevada, and Hillary Clinton leading 34%-32% among those who have definitely made up their minds. This is a conservative poll, so they asked which candidate was most honest and trustworthy. Sanders led Clinton 52%-29%. On the question of which candidates cares more about people like you, Sanders led Clinton 49%-36%. Sanders also led Clinton 49%-36% on the question of which candidate was more progressive.

The poll also found that Hillary Clinton’s paid speeches to the big banks have the potential to do her great harm. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said the speeches made it less likely that they would support her. The survey was conducted by landline and mobile phone with 1,269 likely Democratic caucusgoers based on a modeled list of registered Democratic voters.

A conservative polling company and a conservative media organization have ample motive to produce a poll that boosts Bernie Sanders and shows Hillary Clinton running weak in Nevada. (Republicans are dying to run against Bernie Sanders). This poll should be taken with a serious grain of salt. However, there is some evidence of growing Sanders momentum in Nevada. The Sanders campaign has been advertising and organizing in the state for months. The results in Iowa suggested that the Sanders campaign can effectively organize a caucus.

The Democratic contest is tight. Polling in Nevada is extremely sparse, but a Gravis Marketing Survey done in December had Clinton leading Sanders 50%-27%. The exact numbers of the TargetPoint poll will probably end up being contradicted by future polls, but Sanders has serious national momentum.

The one clear conclusion that can be drawn is that the Democratic race is very close, and it may be a longer expected struggle for whoever wins the nomination.