In the first poll taken in Iowa since Hillary Clinton testified before the House Select Committee on Benghazi and since Vice President Joe Biden announced he would not enter the 2016 presidential race, Hillary Clinton opened up a commanding 41 point lead over Bernie Sanders.
Clinton won 65% of likely Democratic caucus goers, leaving Sanders with 24% and Martin O’Malley with 5%. Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig polled at 1%.
Among Sanders’ supporters, a majority of 68 percent said they back Clinton as their second choice, compared with just 19 percent for O’Malley.
In terms of favorability numbers, 88 percent see the former secretary of state positively, versus 8 percent who do not. Meanwhile, 77 percent have a favorable view of Sanders, while 11 percent do not.
Approximately four in 10, or 40 percent, of those surveyed said that they are “completely decided” on their candidate, about double the share of Republicans who said the same in a Monmouth poll released Monday. Another 37 percent said they have a strong preference but are willing to think about other choices, 10 percent indicated a slight preference and 13 percent said they were undecided. Among the 31 percent of Democrats who said they have met a candidate campaigning in Iowa, 21 percent said they saw Clinton in person, while 16 percent said they saw Sanders.
The poll carries a margin of error of +/- 4.9 points.
