Sanders trailing Clinton but more honest: South Carolina poll

Voters in the US state of South Carolina, the next state to hold presidential primaries, trust Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders more than his rival Hillary Clinton, a new poll has found.

The CBS News “Battleground Tracker” poll released Sunday showed that 75 percent of respondents picked Sanders over the former secretary of state, who trailed him at 60 percent.

Sanders also managed to win over more Democratic voters and get closer to Clinton in terms of overall support, following her by a 19-point margin.

This is especially important as previous polls had placed him behind the former first lady by up to 38 points. Sanders trailed Clinton in the CBS News poll by 22 points last month.

The latest survey revealed a key disadvantage for the Vermont senator in the state, where only 44 percent of respondents agreed that they know him “very well,” compared to 70 percent who said the same of Clinton.

In terms of readiness to take on the post of the nation’s next Commander in Chief, Sanders again fell behind as only 51 percent thought he was up for the job, compared to 80 percent who said Clinton is prepared for it.

With his strong performances in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, Sanders has proven himself as a tough challenge for Clinton, who at first dominated Democratic polls and was viewed as the party’s favorite for presidential nominee.

In Iowa, the two rivals virtually tied, while in New Hampshire Sanders won by a 22-point margin, one of the largest in the history of presidential primaries in the state.

The rivals faced off once again in the latest Democratic presidential debate on Thursday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and sparred over several issues including the lack of universal healthcare, racism and the influence of Wall Street on Washington.

Sanders accused Clinton and other candidates of receiving donations from big corporations who are seeking to influence the government, a criticism she firmly rejected.

Republican voters in South Carolina will cast their votes next Sunday, while Democratic voters will vote on February 27.

Trump cruising ahead of GOP pack

According to the CBS poll, Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump led the GOP field in South Carolina by a 22-point margin, after a fiery 9th nationally televised debate on Saturday night, trumping Texas Senator Ted Cruz, 42 percent to 20 percent.

They were followed by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida with 15 percent support and Ohio Governor John Kasich with 9 percent support.

Republican voters in South Carolina will cast their votes next Sunday, while Democratic voters will vote on February 27.

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