Sanders Campaign Press Release - Bernie Wallops Trump by 20 Points

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday campaigned in Idaho, Utah and Arizona drawing big crowds to rallies as a new national poll gave him a whopping 20-point lead over Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

A new CNN/ORC poll found that if Sanders becomes the Democratic Party standard bearer for the White House he would defeat the real estate mogul 58 percent to 38 percent. That's almost double Hillary Clinton's 12-point lead over Trump.

In the same poll, Sanders had a double-digit lead over U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Sanders led the Texas Republican 55 percent to 42 percent. Sanders defeated Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio by six points. Clinton, meanwhile, lost to Kasich by six points and tied Cruz.

A CBS/New York Times poll out today also gives Sanders a significant advantage over the former secretary of state in a hypothetical general election matchup with the GOP front-runner. Sanders beats Trump by 15 points in the nationwide survey, while Clinton beats the businessman by only 10 points.

"Objectively speaking, there is no question that you are looking at the strongest Democratic candidate," Sanders told 3,200 supporters at an outdoor amphitheater at Fort Tuthill County Park.

The new polls were consistent with other national and state surveys. At a rally earlier Monday in Salt Lake City, Sanders cited a poll from the Deseret News/KSL which found Utah voters would favor Sanders over Trump by 11 points. Clinton led Trump by only two points in the state where Republican White House candidates have a 50-year winning streak, Sanders told the 4,800 backers.

Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager, said Democrats are becoming increasingly nervous about Clinton's chances in the general election. "I am hearing from nervous Democrats all over the country who are increasingly worried that Clinton would lose in the fall," Weaver said.