Jun 4, 2007 10:37 pm US/Eastern
Exclusive WBZ Poll Shows Clinton Surging In N.H.
by Jon Keller
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Barely 24 hours after the Democratic candidates for president squared off in an often-feisty debate, the first verdict from New Hampshire voters is in.
Fresh results from our exclusive
WBZ-Franklin Pierce College Poll indicate Senator Clinton was winner Sunday night -- even after a debate that included some of the sharpest exchanges yet between Clinton and her chief competitors over her voting record on the war in Iraq.
"Each of us is trying in our own way to bring the war to an end," said Clinton.
It's been a constant campaign theme: Hillary Clinton will suffer from backlash when her critics remind voters of her early support for the war. And last night, they opened fire.
"Senator Clinton and Senator Obama did not say anything about how they were gonna vote until they appeared on the floor of the Senate," said Former Senator John Edwards. "They were among the last people to vote."
And the result? Hillary's numbers are soaring. WBZ's exclusive poll has the former first lady jumping out to one of her largest leads ever -- a 22-point bulge over Obama, who has slumped into a near tie with Edwards, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson in fourth.
Fueling the Clinton surge, there was a sense that she clearly outperformed Obama and the rest in last night's debate.
Our poll shows 45 percent of voters scored Hillary the winner, compared with only eight percent for Obama and four percent for Edwards.
"The differences among us are minor, the differences between us and the Republicans are major," said Clinton.
And most promisingly for Hillary, among those who cite experience as their biggest factor, it's a blow-out, with 23 percent citing Clinton's past experience, while only a handful cited Obama or Edwards.
By comparison, three months ago in the last WBZ/Franklin Pierce Poll, Clinton had just a seven point lead over Obama -- less than one-third of her margin Monday night, and Keller thinks she's pulling away because voters are less interested in looking backward than in looking forward on issues like the war.
And most promisingly for Hillary, the Republican candidates take center stage Tuesday night.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
