Sanders' Image Up Among Dems; Clinton Still Maintains Edge.
Byline: Justin McCarthy
Synopsis: Though Bernie Sanders' net favorability has reached a new high among Democrats, Hillary Clinton maintains a double-digit lead over Sanders as the candidates prepare for their final debate before the Iowa caucuses.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders approach their final debate before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, Clinton (+57) maintains a net favorability advantage over Sanders (+48) among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. While Clinton's current score is about par for the course, Sanders is his highest to date, as he has become more familiar to the party faithful.
Clinton's higher net favorable score reflects how much more familiar Americans are with her than they are Sanders, with 95% of Democrats able to rate her either positively or negatively, compared with 70% for Sanders. But those who are familiar with both candidates are slightly more likely to view Sanders favorably (+84) than Clinton (+80).
For Clinton, who enjoys near-universal familiarity among those in her party and Americans as a whole, the favorability advantage she has over Sanders is more modest than the advantage she had earlier on in the race.
Perhaps sensing the threat from a gaining Sanders, Clinton's campaign has recently unleashed what are arguably its most direct attacks on the Vermont independent, with Clinton's daughter Chelsea telling a New Hampshire crowd that Sanders would "dismantle" the Affordable Care Act. The Sanders campaign was swift in its rebuttal of the younger Clinton's comments, saying they were untrue.
With mere weeks left before the start of the party primary schedule, Sanders' rise in net favorability among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents is evident across gender, age and racial groups. Compared with his ratings in November, Sanders' net favorability since December has grown among all groups, with his ratings among whites and those younger than 30 now each exceeding +50.
Clinton's ratings among these groups over the same time have not improved, sagging slightly in all demographics except Democrats and Democratic leaners aged 65 and older. Still, Clinton bests Sanders in most demographic groups except among whites, which Sanders holds a modest six-point advantage, and adults younger than 30, among whom he outperforms Clinton by 23 points in net favorability.
Although Sanders' standing has improved with blacks and Hispanics, his...
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