AFTER the Iowa Caucuses and before the New Hampshire primary, a new national poll reveals the sentiment of the American people on where they want this nation to be stirred moving forward through the presidential elections.
On the Democratic front, Frontrunner Hillary Clinton has reportedly planned on shaking her campaign to stop the momentum that has been favoring Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders steadily and increasingly in the past year. From leading Sanders by 50 percent just a year ago, Clinton’s lead has now shrunk to a virtual tie as revealed by two major national polls.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Clinton leading Sanders 48-45 percent, while a Quinnipiac University poll reveals Clinton leading 44-42 percent, both gaps within the margin of error.
After winning Iowa by just 0.3 percent, Clinton is expected to lose in New Hampshire, if polls are any indication. In the final CNN/WMUR tracking poll, CNN reports that it remains Bernie Sanders’ primary to lose, with the Vermont senator holding a 26-point lead over Hillary Clinton, with 61 percent for Sanders versus 35 percent for Clinton.
While I monitor the exit polls in New Hampshire as of the press time, CNN has projected Sanders as the winner of the primary election in the state and Clinton has reportedly conceded. With potentially record-breaking turnout, enthusiastic voters are eager to make their voices heard in this election.
Clinton won in New Hampshire when she ran against Obama in 2008. What should Clinton do to stop Sanders’ momentum?
On the Republican side, the latest Quinnipiac University National poll reveals Donald Trump still leads the GOP presidential pack among Republican voters nationwide, with 31 percent. He is followed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas with 22 percent and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida with 19 percent. Dr. Ben Carson has 6 percent, with 9 percent undecided and no other candidate above 3 percent.
Heading to New Hampshire, Donald Trump continues to lead the Republican race on the eve of the vote with 31 percent, according to the final CNN/WMUR tracking poll.
CNN reports that trailing behind Trump, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio earned 17 percent support — within the margin of sampling error of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 14 percent, but significantly ahead of the fourth and fifth place candidates in the poll, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (10 percent) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (7 percent). Carly Fiorina stands at 5 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 4 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 3 percent.
Exit polls revealed that Democratic voters are looking for the candidate who is honest and who cares about them, more than electability and experience.
Meanwhile, Republican voters want a candidate who is not part of the establishment, as more than half of them say feel betrayed by and are dissatisfied with how the Republican party has done its job over the years.
Will it be 2008 again for Hillary Clinton? Will Donald Trump continue to lord over the other GOP candidates moving forward?
ABANGAN!
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
