Sanders overtakes Clinton in Iowa, new poll says

Two new polls suggest a significant tightening of the Democratic race for president in Iowa, with one survey saying Bernie Sanders has overtaken Hillary Clinton.

The poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University and released Tuesday, says 49 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers threw their support to Sanders, while 44 percent were for Clinton.

Four percent said they were for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

The five-point lead for Sanders is a turnabout from last month, when the Quinnipiac poll had Clinton leading by 11 percentage points.

Meanwhile, a Public Policy Polling survey, also out Tuesday, said Clinton is leading Sanders, 46 percent to 40 percent, but that's down from the 18-point lead it given her last month. The new Public Policy Polling survey had O'Malley at 8 percent.

With less than three weeks to go before the Feb. 1 caucuses, there have been indications of a closer contest. Clinton has taken a sharper tack against Sanders, criticizing him for a 2005 vote to give the gun industry liability protections

Also, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, released Sunday, said Clinton was leading by only three points in Iowa.

All three polls portray a gap in how men and women are breaking in this race. Clinton is winning women, while Sanders is leading among men.

The new Quinnipiac poll says men prefer Sanders, 61 percent to 30 percent, while women favored Clinton, 55 percent to 39 percent.

The Public Policy Polling survey had Clinton leading among women, 52 percent to 36 percent, while Sanders was winning men by a 46 percent to 39 percent margin.

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted Jan. 5-10, and 492 likely caucusgoers were surveyed. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

The Public Policy Polling survey asked questions of 580 likely Democratic caucusgoers between Jan. 8-10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac poll's administrators say Sanders' surge appears to be based on caucusgoers' belief that he's a better fit for them. By double-digit margins, poll participants said Sanders more closely shares their values - and that he's more honest and trustworthy, said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the poll.

'Iowa may well become Sen. Bernie Sanders' ‘Field of Dreams,'” Brown said.

On issues in the Quinnipiac poll, Sanders was the favored candidate on the economy, 51 percent to 39 percent. Thirty-five percent of the poll's participants called it their most important issue.

Clinton, on the other hand, was the favored candidate on the second- most-important issue, health care, but only by a narrow 48 percent to 43 margin. On their third- most-important issue, climate change, Sanders held a wide advantage over Clinton, 51 percent to 32 percent.

Clinton was seen as the most electable, with 85 percent of respondents saying she has a good chance of winning the general election, compared with 68 percent for Sanders.

Sanders led among people who said this would be their first caucus, 66 percent to 26 percent. Clinton was favored among those who have attended in the past, 52 percent to 41 percent.