Sanders leads Clinton in Wisconsin ahead of crucial primary: Poll

US Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders is leading front-runner Hillary Clinton by five points in Wisconsin, with the state’s April 5 primary election being seen as a make-or-break for the candidates.

According to a new Fox Business poll released on Thursday, Sanders has the support of 48 percent of likely Democratic voters, while Clinton is trailing behind with 43 percent.

Clinton holds a slim lead among female voters with 47 percent to Sanders’ 44 percent, but among women under 45, he leads 66 to 28 percent.

In a separate poll conducted by the Public Policy Polling earlier on Thursday, the independent senator from Vermont is leading Clinton by 6 points in Wisconsin, which is viewed to be a Sanders-friendly state.

In a similar poll in February, Sanders led Clinton 44 percent to 43 percent in Wisconsin, which with its 96 delegates is a must-win for the independent senator. 

Sanders whose campaign was boosted by landslide victories in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii, is hoping to cut further into Clinton’s lead in next week's elections in the state.

Sanders believes his recent string of victories shows he can not only win the Democratic nomination, but also succeed in the general presidential election against the Republican nominee.

According to a CNN/ORC survey last month, Sanders has a 20-point lead over Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in a head-to-head contest. Clinton held a 12-point lead over Trump in the same survey.

Sanders has long been critical of US foreign policy and was an early opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clinton tends to be more hawkish and inclined to use military force.

Sanders, 74, is also a leading proponent of issues such as income inequality, universal healthcare, parental leave, climate change, and campaign finance reform in the US.

Speaking at a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, Sanders pledged to make fundamental changes to the country’s political, criminal justice, health care and education system, if he becomes president.

Touting his “political revolution”, Sanders said he would work to reform campaign finance laws and the criminal justice system, expand social welfare, create universal health care and make public college tuition-free.

Clinton leads Sanders in New York

According to another poll, Clinton has a 12-point lead over Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary race in New York state, where voting is scheduled for April 19.

The Quinnipiac University survey released on Thursday showed the former secretary of state leading Sanders 54-42 percent in the poll of likely Democratic voters.

On the Republican side, Trump has opened a big lead in the primary, with gaining support from 56 percent of likely GOP voters, compared to 20 percent who backed Texas Senator Ted Cruz and 19 percent who preferred Ohio Governor John Kasich, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

We are going to win New York: Sanders 

In an interview with CBS News on Friday, Sanders claimed he will defeat Clinton in New York’s primary. "We are going to win New York."

On Thursday night, some 18,000 people reportedly attended a Sanders  rally in the South Bronx, New York. 

“We’re going to do rallies all over the state, and I think we have a good shot at this,” said Sanders, who is a Brooklyn native.

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