In a new poll of likely Democratic primary voters in California — the most populous and most Democratic-leaning state in the country — Bernie Sanders is surging like never before. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton’s popularity is sinking fast.

While Clinton is still 12 percentage points ahead of the Vermont senator in the latest Field Poll, her approval numbers have dropped to 45 percent since the last poll — a 19 percent drop. Meanwhile, the percentage of California Democrats who prefer Sanders skyrocketed from 9 percent in May to 35 percent today. That’s a 45-point swing in less than six months.

These latest numbers should be a shock to the Clinton campaign — Hillary won California handily in the 2008 election. 84 year-old retiree Joan Callaway, one of the poll respondents, told the Sacramento Bee that while she would vote for the eventual Democratic nominee regardless of who won the primary, she preferred Sanders.

“I’m waiting for Hillary to come around on a few issues,” Callaway said. “I think she’s a little bit, I don’t know, on the corporate side.”

Clinton’s sinking poll numbers are widely-viewed as a result of her mishandling the scandal surrounding her personal email server, which allegedly contained classified State Department-related emails.

California has long been a solid funding base for both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Last month, the former Secretary of State held a $2700-per-ticket Hollywood fundraiser at the home of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Rob Friedman, bringing in a total of $225,000.

“Clinton’s support has taken a big hit over the past few months,” poll director Mark DiCamillo told the Bee. “She needs to get past [the email scandal] to try to stabilize the situation.”

Bernie Sanders made headlines in August when he drew a crowd of roughly 27,500 supporters to a rally at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. In a contrast to the Clinton family, Sanders raises campaign cash mainly through his website, where his average donation is roughly $40.

Rather than high-rolling celebrities hosting fundraisers at lavish mansions, Sanders’ California fundraisers are smaller crowds of a few hundred. Actress Mimi Kennedy, who hosted a Sanders house party in June, told Politico that the 200 or so in attendance donated a total of $50,000. Sanders broke records recently when announcing $26 million in quarterly campaign donations from 650,000 donors.

http://usuncut.com/politics/the-biggest-state-in-the-country-is-abandoning-clinton-for-sanders/

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