Sanders Slashes Clinton's Lead in Ohio to Single Digits

This time last year, Bernie Sanders trailed Hillary Clinton in the Midwestern state by 40 points.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, fresh off a major upset win in Michigan, has cut former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's lead in Ohio to single digits, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Voters in Ohio head will to the polls March 15, with 159 delegates at stake in the Democratic race. Like Michigan, the Midwestern state has been hard hit by the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, losing at least 139,000 manufacturing jobs since the deal came into effect in 1994, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Sanders has made his opposition to tariff-slashing trade deals a centerpiece of his insurgent campaign. In Michigan, an exit poll found 60 percent voters believed that so-called "free trade" cost jobs, with a majority of those who believe that supporting Sanders. His long-time opposition to trade deals appears to be paying off in Ohio as well, with a Quinnipiac University poll finding the senator trailing in Ohio by just 9 points.

Among likely Democratic primary voters, Clinton leads Sanders 52 to 43 percent thanks to strong support from women, who back her 59 to 34 percent, and voters older than 44. Younger voters overwhelmingly back Sanders – 65 to 34 percent – as do voters who describe themselves as “very liberal.” The poll was conducted before Sanders' 50 to 48 percent win in Michigan, where surveys released in the days before the March 8 primary showed him down by more than 20 points.

Sanders is looking to exploit its advantage with youth in the state. On Tuesday, his campaign sued Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted in federal court in attempt to compel the state to allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the November 2016 general election to participate in the upcoming primary. The lawsuit alleges that barring 17-year-olds amounts to discrimination against Black and Latino voters.

RELATED: Polls Show Sanders Would Win If He Goes Up Against Trump

Sanders is not doing so well in Florida, where 246 delegates are at stake March 15. There, Clinton is the preferred candidate of every demographic except those aged 18 to 44, who are split evenly between her and Sanders. Overall, she leads Sanders by 62 to 32 percent.

More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Sanders-Slashes-Clintons-Lead-in-Ohio-to-Single-Digits-20160309-0010.html

Come on Florida; we CAN catch up to Ohio!!