Poll: Hillary Clinton roars ahead of Bernie Sanders

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton has widened her lead ahead of her biggest competition, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in the latest polls. According to CNN/ORC's numbers, 42 percent of Democratic primary voters support Clinton, as compared to 24 percent behind Bernie Sanders, and 22 percent behind Vice President Joe Biden, who has not announced his candidacy. Another one percent back Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. By comparison, in a previous poll taken between September 4 and 8, Clinton's lead on Sanders was much smaller — only 37 percent to Sanders' 27 percent.

Biden not ultimately running pushes Clinton's lead even further ahead, since many would-be Biden voters are also big Clinton fans. Data shows that Clinton's support rises 15 percent, to 57 percent, while Sanders' only grows by 4 percent, to 28 percent, if the vice president chooses not to jump in the race. With that growth — 57 percent vs. 28 percent — Clinton has an almost 2-to-1 lead on her closest competitor for the Democratic nomination.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.