--- title: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Tied in Iowa, New Hampshire description: Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are neck and neck in both Iowa and New Hampshire, a new poll has found canonical: https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-10T15:35:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:15.243Z article:section: Politics og:title: Poll: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Deadlocked in Iowa and New Hampshire og:description: Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are also close in Iowa and New Hampshire og:url: https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ad82d67641b73f6/698878540a4a22b6199c7cff/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders.jpg?branch=production&width=1006&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1006 og:image:height: 566 og:image:alt: Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate In New Hampshire og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Poll: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Deadlocked in Iowa and New Hampshire twitter:description: Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are also close in Iowa and New Hampshire twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ad82d67641b73f6/698878540a4a22b6199c7cff/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders.jpg?branch=production&width=1006&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:54 video:published: 2015-12-20 section: politics topics: Democratic debate, gun safety, assault weapons ban, ISIS, military strategy, prescription drug costs, Wall Street, student loans, income-based repayment, political tone genre: debate, news clip tones: combative, serious, critical, urgent emotions: anger (medium), concern (high), defiance (medium) sentiment: negative audience: US voters, political observers, Democratic primary followers, news readers people: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump organizations: ISIS, Democratic Party content_suitability: war [00:51-01:05]; violence [00:39-00:44]; hate [01:36-01:49]; politics [00:00-01:54] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Poll: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Deadlocked in Iowa and New Hampshire > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice 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. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e7b908b1-4ccd-4330-86fe-7e3f7e8cf4ec&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Third Democratic Debate, In Under Two Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): The Third Democratic Debate, In Under Two Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lTPNqlFm.m3u8) (1:54)  _Published 2015-12-20. Here are the highlights from the final Democratic debate of 2015._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary This video presents short highlights from the final Democratic debate of 2015, focusing on exchanges about whether a candidate should apologize, gun safety legislation including a ban on combat assault weapons, US military involvement against ISIS, prescription drug and Wall Street costs, and student loan repayment. Candidates trade sharp criticism over political style and policy positions. The clip also includes remarks about Donald Trump and ISIS recruitment. ## Key points - A candidate apologizes and suggests moving on because the American people are not all that interested in the bickering. (00:11) - A speaker says the bickering back and forth is not the politics of higher purpose the people expect from the party. (00:20) - A candidate says the party actually passed comprehensive gun safety legislation with a ban on combat assault weapons. (00:39) - A speaker argues that sending American soldiers on the ground would give ISIS many more targets and a great recruiting opportunity. (00:51) - A speaker says a strong coalition of forces is needed for action against ISIS. (00:57) - A speaker says out-of-pocket costs and prescription drug costs have gone up too much and that the greed of Wall Street is destroying the economy. (01:09) - A candidate says all of our kids should go into an income-based repayment plan, presented as something they have actually done. (01:23) - A speaker says Donald Trump is becoming ISIS's best recruiter by showing videos of him insulting Islam and Muslims. (01:45) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:20] Apology and political tone. Candidates debate whether an apology is owed and one speaker criticizes the bickering as falling short of the party's higher purpose. - [00:20 to 00:51] Gun safety and military action. A speaker cites passed gun safety legislation and argues against sending American soldiers to fight ISIS on the ground. - [00:51 to 01:09] Coalition strategy against ISIS. The speaker advocates building a strong coalition of forces rather than deploying large numbers of ground troops. - [01:09 to 01:23] Drug costs and Wall Street. A speaker criticizes rising prescription drug costs and Wall Street greed as harming the economy and millions of Americans. - [01:23 to 01:54] Student loans and Trump criticism. A candidate proposes income-based repayment for kids' loans, then a speaker criticizes Donald Trump's rhetoric as aiding ISIS recruitment. ## Key quotes - [00:11] Unidentified candidate: "Yes, I apologize. We should move on because I don't think the American people are all that interested in this." - [00:20] Unidentified speaker: "We're listening to the bickering back and forth." - [00:27] Unidentified speaker: "that is not the politics of higher purpose the people expect from our party." - [00:57] Unidentified speaker: "Giving them many more targets, and giving them a great recruiting opportunity." - [01:14] Unidentified speaker: "The greed of wall street is destroying this economy." - [01:45] Unidentified speaker: "He is becoming ISIS's best recruiter." ## Questions this video answers - Does a candidate owe an apology during the debate? [00:08] - What gun safety legislation do candidates say has passed? [00:39] - Should American soldiers be deployed on the ground against ISIS? [00:51] - What do candidates say about the rising costs of prescription drugs and out-of-pocket expenses? [01:09] - What income-based repayment plan is proposed for students? [01:23] - Why does one speaker say Donald Trump is helping ISIS recruitment? [01:36] ## Content suitability - war [00:51-01:05]: Discussion of deploying American soldiers on the ground to fight ISIS. - violence [00:39-00:44]: References to combat assault weapons and gun safety legislation. - hate [01:36-01:49]: Speaker describes a candidate insulting Islam and Muslims and alleges recruitment of extremists. - politics [00:00-01:54]: Entire clip is political debate content.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 10, 2016 3:35 PM UTC  Democratic president candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., on Dec. 19, 2015. Democratic president candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., on Dec. 19, 2015. Andrew Burton—Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 10, 2016 3:35 PM UTC [Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders](http://time.com/4172793/hillary-clinton-iowa-caucus-bernie-sanders/) are neck and neck in both Iowa and New Hampshire, [a new poll has found](http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-even-in-early-races-poll-finds-1452434581). [Clinton](http://time.com/tag/hillary-clinton/) is slightly ahead among likely Democratic voters in Iowa with a 48%-to-45% lead over the Vermont senator, according to the latest Wall Street _Journal_/NBC News/Marist poll. However, [Sanders](http://time.com/tag/bernie-sanders/) is narrowly beating the former Secretary of State among likely primary voters in New Hampshire with 50% support compared Clinton’s 46%, the survey shows. Both leads in the early voting states are within the poll’s margins of error, the Wall Street _Journal_ reports. “The Democratic contests in Iowa and New Hampshire could still go either way,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, told the newspaper. “If your New Year’s resolution was to have clarity in 2016, you better also have resolved to be patient.” Meanwhile, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is leading Donald Trump, 28% to 24%, among likely voters in Iowa, but the real estate mogul is ahead in New Hampshire with 30%, according to poll results. The Iowa survey was conducted between Jan. 2 and Jan. 7 among 422 likely Democratic voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.8 percentage points. Its survey of 456 likely Republican voters in the state had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. The New Hampshire poll, conducted during the same time, included interviews with 569 likely Republican primary voters and 425 likely Democratic primary voters, according to the Journal. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.1 percentage points for Republicans and 4.8 percentage points for Democrats. \[[_WSJ_](http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-even-in-early-races-poll-finds-1452434581)\] ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:08] Does secretary Clinton deserve an apology tonight? [00:11] Yes, I apologize. We should move on because I don't [00:14] think the American people are all that interested in [00:17] this. [ MUSIC ] [00:20] We're listening to the bickering back and forth. Maybe [00:23] that's normal politics in Washington, but that is not the [00:27] politics of higher purpose the people expect from our [00:29] party. [ MUSIC ] [00:32] And [00:34] excuse me, no. Governor, now to be able to abide by [00:37] the rules here, we'll call on you shortly. But I do wanna [00:39] pick up on something. Actually passed, Comprehensive [00:41] guns, safety legislation with a ban on combat assault [00:44] weapons David. [ MUSIC ] They [00:51] want American soldiers on the ground fighting them. [00:54] [ MUSIC ] Giving them many more targets, and giving [00:57] them a great recruiting opportunity. I believe in action, [01:01] in which we put together a strong coalition of forces. [01:05] [ MUSIC ] [01:09] Out of pocket costs have gone up too much. And [01:11] prescription drug costs have gone through the roof. [01:14] The greed of wall street is destroying this economy. [01:19] And it's destroying the lives of millions of Americans. [01:23] This one falls under the category of " I have actually [01:25] done this ". I believe that all of our kids should go into [01:28] an income- based repayment plan. [ mmm ] [01:33] [ MUSIC ] [01:36] Must never surrender them to the fascist pleas of [01:40] billionaires with big mouths. He is becoming ISIS's best [01:45] recruiter. They are going to people showing videos- [01:48] [ APPLAUSE ] Of Donald Trump insulting Islam and [01:49] Muslims in order to recruit. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/"},"headline":"Poll: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Deadlocked in Iowa and New Hampshire","datePublished":"2016-01-10T15:35:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:42:15.243Z","description":"Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are also close to even among likely voters in Iowa and New Hampshire","url":"https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ad82d67641b73f6/698878540a4a22b6199c7cff/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ad82d67641b73f6/698878540a4a22b6199c7cff/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate In New Hampshire","caption":"Democratic president candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton debate at Saint Anselm College Dec. 19, 2015 in Manchester, New Hampshire.","creditText":"Andrew Burton—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/","name":"Poll: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Deadlocked in Iowa and New Hampshire"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Third Democratic Debate, In Under Two Minutes","description":"Here are the highlights from the final Democratic debate of 2015.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/lTPNqlFm/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-12-20T05:14:20.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lTPNqlFm.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/","duration":"PT1M54S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4174283/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```