Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg are both riding high after the disastrous Iowa caucus — leading the Democratic field in New Hampshire just days before the state’s primary, according to a new poll.
The NBC News/Marist poll released Friday found Sanders slightly ahead with support from 25% of Democratic voters in New Hampshire, compared to 21% for Buttigieg.
Sanders’ lead is within the poll’s 4.7% margin of error and indicates Tuesday’s primary could shape up to be another close race between the candidates who had a nail-biting finish in Monday’s still-undeclared Iowa caucus.
After a disastrous week where results were delayed by an error-riddled app, the final polling figures showed the candidates virtually tied with the former South Bend mayor ahead of the Vermont senator by just 0.09%.
The NBC News/Marist poll showed Elizabeth Warren in fourth place with 14 percent of the vote, followed by Joe Biden at 13 percent and Amy Klobuchar at 8 percent.
The separation between the two leaders was virtually unchanged from January’s poll when Sanders finished with 22% and Buttigieg with 17%.
But the biggest change between the two polls was enthusiasm within the fresh-faced Buttigieg’s following after his victory in the hotly contested first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.
According to the poll, 63% of his backers said they strongly supported him — up from 44% in January.