Bernie Sanders Narrows Hillary Clinton's National Lead in New Poll

— -- Bernie Sanders is narrowing Hillary Clinton’s national lead less than two weeks before the crucial Iowa caucuses, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

The Monmouth University poll shows Clinton with 52 percent support from Democratic primary voters nationwide and Sanders with 37 percent. Sanders climbed 11 percentage points in the Monmouth poll, his highest support yet.

Clinton led by 35 percent in the Monmouth University poll released in mid-December.

Sanders’ support is bolstered by liberals, who he leads by 9 points and people under 50 years old, who he leads by 13 points. Still, he trails Clinton by huge margins among blacks and Latinos: Clinton has a 71-21 percent advantage in that group. They are tied at 43 percent among whites.

Sanders and Clinton are running neck-and-neck in recent Iowa polling, and Sanders holds a slim lead over the former secretary of state in New Hampshire, the nation’s second nominating contest.

The Monmouth poll shows that a slim majority of Democratic voters nationwide believe Sanders either has an equal or a better shot than Clinton to defeat the GOP nominee. Still, roughly four in 10 Democratic voters said Clinton has a better chance than Sanders, depending slightly on the GOP opponent.