Hillary Clinton's advisers are reportedly saying she underestimated Bernie Sanders


Democrats close to Hillary Clinton, the party's presidential frontrunner, believe she underestimated opponent Bernie Sanders early on, advisers and friends of hers told The New York Times:
They argued that Mrs. Clinton and her advisers should have competed against him more aggressively, in debates and on the campaign trail, rather than appear so sharply negative with their recent attacks, which have given the campaign a jumbled feeling heading into the first voting states. Even Chelsea Clinton jabbed at Mr. Sanders, an unusual move given that relatives are traditionally used in campaigns to soften a politician's image. [The New York Times]
Clinton holds only a narrow lead over Sanders in Iowa, according to recent polling, and the Vermont senator is on top in New Hampshire.
"I always say, 'If I've got an opponent that's breathing, I'm going to take that opponent very seriously,'" said Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.).
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Naturally, Clinton's campaign told the Times everything is going just fine. Read the full report here.
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
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