Shawn GriffithsThe latest statewide survey from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) shows U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders closing the gap on Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary in California. According to the survey's results, Sanders now trails Clinton by only two percentage points, 44% to 46%.
IVN reported in April that a Field Poll showed that Sanders started to show serious gains on Clinton in April, when the gap between the two candidates closed to 7 percentage points compared to January, when Clinton had a comfortable lead of 11 percentage points.
The PPIC results paint a different picture from a SurveyUSA/ABC 7 poll published this week, which had Clinton with an 18-point advantage, 57 percent to 39 percent. The ABC 7 report says Clinton is winning with voters between the ages of 35 and 49, a demographic she reportedly leads by 12 points.
Both SurveyUSA/ABC 7 and the April Field Poll show Bernie Sanders with a huge advantage among young voters. The Field Poll showed a 25-point gap between Sanders and Clinton with voters under 30, so while ABC 7 reports that Clinton is expected to win California in a landslide, there is indication that it may not be as easy of a contest for her as it would have been earlier this year.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla reported Tuesday that his office saw a huge surge in voter registration and registration updates over the past few weeks, including nearly 200,000 citizens who registered or updated their information on Monday, the final day to register for the June 7 primary.
The secretary of state noted that the elevated interest in the 2016 election was especially evident among young voters -- 42% of the online registration activity on Monday came from Californians between the ages 17 and 25. Increased enthusiasm among young voters could carry over to the polls and completely change the dynamics of the race.
More information on PPIC's findings will be released as they become available.
Photo Source: AP