Sanders Campaign Press Release - Sanders is 'Strongest' Democrat, Poll Says

WASHINGTON – A new survey released Monday found that Bernie Sanders outperforms Hillary Clinton in matchups with each of six leading Republican White House hopefuls.

"The results from New Hampshire, a key general election battleground state, tell us the same thing we've seen in national polls. The fact is that Bernie is the most electable candidate Democrats could nominate," said Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager.

According to Public Policy Polling, Sanders and Clinton both outperform Republican candidates for president in New Hampshire "but Sanders does an average of four points better in the match ups."

Sanders, for example, led Republican front runner Donald Trump by nine points compared to Clinton's edge of 47 percent to 41 percent. The Vermont senator also held a 10-point advantage over U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

Sanders also was viewed more favorably than any other presidential candidate, Republican or Democrat, in the Granite State survey. He is "the only candidate with a positive favorability rating among the overall electorate in New Hampshire," according to a news release by the polling firm.

Public Policy Polling said that it surveyed 990 New Hampshire voters, including 458 Democratic primary voters and 454 Republican primary voters in the critical general election battleground state.

The New Hampshire survey mirrors findings of a Dec. 2 national Quinnipiac University Poll  which also found that Sanders bested the most popular Republican White House hopefuls by margins as big or bigger than Clinton.

"The data points to Bernie Sanders' remarkable strength as a general election candidate who could generate the kind of enthusiasm and excitement Democrats will need to keep the White House and gain ground in Congress and state capitals," said Weaver.