New poll: Clinton maintains lead over Sanders in Iowa

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds a seven-point lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders among likely Iowa Democratic caucusgoers, according to a new poll.

Clinton leads Sanders, 48 percent to 41 percent, according to a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll, which was conducted Oct. 16-19, just days after the Oct. 13 Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. The poll reallocated support for Vice President Joe Biden, who said Wednesday he will not seek the presidency.

Clinton's margin over Sanders is roughly the same as it was in a previous Register/Bloomberg poll in August.

In third place in the latest poll, trailing significantly, was former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley at 2 percent. Ex-Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee came in at 1 percent.

Former Sen. Jim Webb, who dropped out of the race Tuesday, was at 2 percent in the poll. The rest of the poll respondents were undecided or had declared themselves uncommitted.

Clinton and Sanders both saw their favorability ratings increase since the August poll. Eighty-five percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of Clinton, up from 77 percent two months ago, while 82 percent had a positive view of Sanders, up 11 points from August.

O'Malley also saw his favorability rating, at 37 percent, up 10 points from August. Still, 39 percent of Iowa Democrats said they weren't sure of their view of him. Only a small fraction of voters were not sure how they felt about Clinton and Sanders.

So far, it appears the email controversy enveloping Clinton has not had a big impact on Iowa Democrats' view of her. Only 18 percent said they would be less supportive of Clinton because of the matter, while 81 percent said it didn't bother them.

On the other hand, the poll asked Iowa Democrats about Sanders' votes against waiting periods and background checks for gun buyers and found 60 percent of respondents said the votes would make them less supportive. Thirty-nine percent said it did not bother them.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Clinton only recently said she opposes, also divides Iowa Democrats. Thirty-nine percent said it would be a good thing for Iowa, while 27 percent said it would be bad for Iowa. Thirty-four percent said they were not sure.

Sanders and O'Malley have been harshly critical of the trade deal.

The poll of 402 Iowa Democrats who said they would definitely or probably attend the caucuses next year was conducted by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines between Oct. 16 and 19. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.