--- title: Bernie Sanders: Iowa Poll Shows Him Taking the Lead description: Bernie Sanders has surpassed Hillary Clinton in Iowa as the favorite to win the Democratic nomination, according to a recent poll. canonical: https://time.com/4028812/bernie-sanders-iowa-poll/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-10T10:00:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:28.167Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bernie Sanders Takes the Lead in Iowa Poll og:description: He surpassed Hillary Clinton in a Quinnipiac survey. og:url: https://time.com/4028812/bernie-sanders-iowa-poll/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77ec835a9289a029/698862f55f570fd7acb1d4f1/bernie-sanders-iowa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Bernie Sanders og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bernie Sanders Takes the Lead in Iowa Poll twitter:description: He surpassed Hillary Clinton in a Quinnipiac survey. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77ec835a9289a029/698862f55f570fd7acb1d4f1/bernie-sanders-iowa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bernie Sanders Takes the Lead in Iowa Poll > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Hillary Clinton's Top 10 Political Moments [Watch (HLS stream): Hillary Clinton's Top 10 Political Moments](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/L3I0gpwt.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2015-04-09. Watch the top 10 moments from Hillary Clinton's career in politics._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Sep 10, 2015 10:00 AM UTC  Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at the at the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on Aug. 14, 2015,. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at the at the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on Aug. 14, 2015,. Charlie Riedel—AP by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Sep 10, 2015 10:00 AM UTC Bernie Sanders has taken a narrow lead over Hillary Clinton in Iowa more than four months before the state’s caucus, according to a poll released Thursday. The Vermont senator is favorite among 41% of Iowa likely Democratic participants, compared with 40% supporting the former Secretary of State, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday. That marks a major reversal from early July, when Clinton was ahead of Sanders, 52% to 33%. Sanders, an anti-establishment candidate who has made economic inequality the rallying cry of his campaign, has surged in polls throughout the summer, benefiting from discontent among Democratic voters. Clinton, meanwhile, has suffered as a result of the controversy over her private email server. “Sanders has seized the momentum by offering a message more in line with disproportionately liberal primary and caucus voters,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “He is the candidate of the Democratic left, against his own party’s bosses and their prized presidential candidate, Secretary Hillary Clinton.” Sanders is also polling ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire, the second Democratic nominating contest. **MORE:** [_How Bernie Sanders is Winning in New Hampshire_](http://time.com/4024573/bernie-sanders-new-hampshire/) Polls in the early states are notoriously poor predictors of the primary contests, and Sanders’ lead over Clinton is well with in the Quinnipiac Poll’s 3.4% margin of error. But his rapid gain on Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire reflects broader concern among liberal Democrats with economic inequality, college affordability, healthcare and campaign finance reform, issues that Sanders has trumpeted throughout his campaign. “People are saying enough is enough,” Sanders said in an interview with TIME before the latest poll numbers were announced. “We are taking on the greed of the billionaire class. And they are very, very powerful and they’re going to fight back furiously. And the only way we succeed is when millions of people stand up and decide to engage.” Clinton has sought to recalibrate her response to the email controversy, apologizing Tuesday for her use of a private email server and focusing on her economic message of raising middle class incomes while putting forth her own proposals for issues such as campaign finance reform. Vice President Joe Biden, who is undecided about whether he’ll run for office again, placed a distant third at 12%, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has support from just 3% of likely caucus-goers. ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. Brian Snyder—Reuters ## Transcript You know, I'm not sittin' here some little woman standing here by my man like Tammy Wynette. I'm sittin' here because I love him, and I respect him. Now is our chance to beat the historical odds, and give the American people the health security they need. If there is one message that echoes forth from this. Let it be that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all. The great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it is this vast right- wing conspiracy that has been conspiring. Against my husband since the day he announced for president. I would be happy to, when you give me the signed letters. Well, right here. Right here. When you give me. Right here. Sign it right now. We'll shake. We'll shake on this, Ray. No, no, I want your signature, cause I think that everybody wants to see you signing something that you said you were for. You know, I have so many opportunities from this country. I just don't wanna see us fall backwards. Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it. The battle to stop Al Qaeda and its affiliates. Does not end with one death. What difference, at this point, does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator. I took the unprecedented step of asking that the state department make all my work- related emails, [ MUSIC ] Public for everyone to see. 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