Bernie Sanders In Tight Race With Hilary Clinton In Latest Polls In Iowa, New Hampshire

Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hilary Clinton are battling neck and neck in two early nominating states, according to the latest poll by NBC and The Wall Street Journal.

In the recent poll, the former U.S. Secretary of State leads Sanders among Democratic voters in Iowa, 48 percent against 45 percent.

On the other hand, more New Hampshire caucus-goers are rooting for the Vermont Senator, with 50 percent of respondents choosing him, as opposed to Clinton’s 46 percent.

Breaking: Clinton, Sanders are even in Iowa, New Hampshire, poll finds; GOP race tight in Iowa https://t.co/nEqUhuBlYK

— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 10, 2016

The new poll points to Sanders’ claim that he is better-suited for a general election run against the top Republican presidential candidates, compared to Clinton.

The NBC/WSJ poll also have showed that Clinton would have a difficult time in head-to-head match-ups against Sen Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio in both states, while Sanders fares better against the two, only tying with Rubio in New Hampshire.

In the previous weeks, the 74-year-old Sanders has presented himself as someone who can fare better against the best of the Republican nominees, especially against businessman tycoon Donald Trump.

Bernie Sanders Explains His Electability on Jimmy Kimmel Live

“If people are concerned about electability – and Democrats should be very concerned because we certainly don’t want to see some right-wing extremist in the White House – Bernie Sanders is the candidate,” the Vermont senator said in an interview on Sunday.

However, Clinton said that polls are “fleeting,” and sometimes they go up, other times they go down.

Often seen as an underdog in the Democratic nomination race, Bernie Sanders has slowly but surely reduced Clinton’s lead in the past weeks, banking on his chances of winning in the national general elections.

As a result, Clinton has begun pointing out some of the flaws in her rival’s campaign, as well as some wrong choices he made during his political career.

In an interview on MSNBC, Hillary Clinton rebuked Bernie Sanders who previously supported a 2005 bill that protected the rights of gun manufacturers.

“When it really mattered, Senator Sanders voted with the gun lobby, and I voted against the gun lobby,” Clinton said.

Bernie Sanders still won’t join with @HillaryClinton and @POTUS to oppose liability protection for gun companies. https://t.co/jKPaiBHpLP

— The Briefing (@TheBriefing2016) January 10, 2016

In addition, she said that Bernie Sanders has been an “occasional ally” of the National Rifle Association. Clinton wanted Sanders to get up and admit his mistake in supporting the bill.

On the other hand, Sanders has said in previous statements that he is open to revising the legislation in favor of gun control.

“I am absolutely willing – as I’ve said for many, many weeks, if not months – to take another look at that piece of legislation,” he said.

Bernie Sanders Discusses His Position on Gun Control

Clinton would have none of it, however. She said that if Bernie Sanders really wanted to change his previous stance on gun regulation, he should have immediately introduced a bill in the US Senate.

Sanders’ camp, meanwhile, claims that the Vermont Senator has been an active supporter of gun safety legislations. He even supported an assault weapons ban. To prove this, Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, said that the “The National Rifle Association has given him grades of D- and F.”

In addition, Weaver went on to say that gun control regulation is an issue that Clinton has used in previous elections against her rivals.

“Today she’s attacking Bernie on guns. Eight years ago she attacked Barack Obama on guns,” he added.

“Today she’s attacking Bernie on guns. Eight years ago she attacked Barack Obama on guns.” – Jeff Weaver https://t.co/GZWK8jgvfB

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 9, 2016

While Clinton’s tirades on Sanders’ campaign are mainly composed of his wrong choices concerning gun control policies, Bernie’s attacks on Hillary consisted of several issues such as the Wall Street reform, trade, and environmental policies.

It is only less than a month until the Democratic nomination, and from the looks of it, the battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will only become tighter in the coming days.

[Image by Joe Raedle/ Getty Images]