While the GOP field has seen the rise of anti-establishment candidates like Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has been having problems of her own. The latest poll out of New Hampshire shows Clinton has been bumped into second place by someone previously considered a long shot challenger, Senator Bernie Sanders.
To be sure, this isn’t the first time people have speculated that Sanders might be a threat to the presumptive Democratic front runner. The Washington Post recently noted that a Sanders event drew “an estimated 27,500 people — about five times as large as any crowd that has turned out for Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.” And that the crowd seems to be part of a growing trend:
All told, Sanders has attracted more than 100,000 people to his rallies in recent weeks, riding a wave of Facebook shares, retweets and old-fashioned word-of-mouth to become by far the biggest draw on the campaign trail.
The new poll showing Sanders up seven points in New Hampshire (compared to down four just over a week ago) hints at a major dissatisfaction among Democratic voters. No matter how much money candidates raise, it won’t push them over the top unless they address the core concerns of the base. Voters, whether left, right or center, want an election, not a coronation.
Nick Arnold is a researcher for American Principles in Action.
