Buffeted by the emails controversy and a spirited campaign by her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton continues to lose ground in polls.
Clinton, who started out as the clear favourite with many viewing her as the sure-shot Democratic nominee, is now running nine points behind Sanders in New Hampshire, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll.
Sanders, who calls himself a Democratic socialist, is also making steady inroads in Iowa, where Clinton is still ahead but her lead is declining.
In another disconcerting finding for Clinton, the poll has found that Vice President Joe Biden, who is still to decide whether to enter the race, is more popular than her. In terms of favourability, Biden leads Clinton 74 per cent to 67 per cent among Democrats and 42 per cent to 32 per cent in the general electorate.
On the Republican side, front-runner Donald Trump is sitting pretty in both States. He holds a seven-point lead in Iowa in a crowded field of 17 candidates, and a 16-point lead in New Hampshire.
Iowa and New Hampshire, though small States, get disproportionate attention as they herald America’s long-winded primaries to pick the Democratic and Republican nominees.
In New Hampshire, Sanders is now enjoying the support of 41 per cent of Democratic voters as against Clinton’s 32 per cent, says the NBC poll. Vice President Joe Biden, even without joining the race, is said to have 16 per cent as of now.