Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - CBS News/NY Times Poll: Clinton Primary Lead Balloons to 22 Points

Hillary up 7 points since last month, now leads nearest Dem by roughly 2-1 margin

Hillary Clinton has significantly widened her lead in the Democratic primary to 22 points, leading her nearest rival by a roughly 2-1 margin, according to a new CBS News/NY Times poll released today. The poll, in the field through Wednesday, confirms the significant increases for Clinton also shown in a series of other recent polls.

Specifically, the new poll shows:

• Hillary's lead over her nearest Democratic rival has jumped to 22 points (46-24), from 15 last month (39-24).
• Hillary's share of the Democratic primary vote increased 7 points to 46 from 39 last month.
• 73 percent of all Democrats polled believe Hillary can win the general election (an increase of 9 percent since January), compared to 56 percent for her nearest rival.
• Hillary's favorable rating among all Democrats polled is over 20 points higher than her nearest rival (Clinton 65 percent; Edwards 44; Obama 40).

"This continued widening of Hillary's lead shows that Americans are increasingly ready for change and that they are confident Hillary is ready to lead," said Clinton chief strategist and pollster Mark Penn.

Today's poll comes on the heels of a USA Today poll showing Hillary leading the primary by 15 points, a CNN poll showing her up by 14, and a Newsweek poll showing her beating every Democratic and Republican candidate in head-to-head matchups.

The latest Gallup poll also shows Clinton's favorability climbing -- now 53 percent overall, up 8 points since last month.