Feeling the Bern in Iowa – Just how crucial is the first primary for DNC frontrunners?

They’ve been polling for months in advance in Iowa – and with less than a week to go before Iowans gather to caucus and choose their preferred person to lead the DNC this November, the most recent polling has Bernie Sanders surging and Joe Biden fading in major races and across the country.

Polling in Iowa is still tight and shows a four-candidate race between Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, making it clear the first-in-the-nation caucus battle remains anyone’s game.

Yet it is also clear that Sanders has a strong chance of coming out on top in Iowa, as well as in New Hampshire, which will vote just a week later.

Such a result would make him the clear front-runner and would likely unnerve parts of the Democratic Party uneasy about the progressive independent being their standard-bearer in the fall.

Sanders separated himself from the pack in a New York Times-Siena Research poll of Iowa released over the weekend, one of the first to find a clear-cut leader in the Hawkeye State. And a WBUR survey of New Hampshire released this week found Sanders opening up a 12-point advantage over the next closest contender.

Sanders surpassed Biden in CNN’s latest national poll, marking the first time Biden has not held the top spot in that poll this cycle. Jan 26 – The Hill

There’s still a long way to go, and if you are a journalist covering the primaries – then let our experts help with your questions and coverage.

• How does the Iowa caucus different from other states?
• Are there alliances forming and can any of the leading candidates count on support from the other contenders when the drop out.
• What will the Bloomberg factor be?
• And who has the money and staying power to hold on if there’s bad news in February?

Mark Caleb Smith is the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University. Mark is available to speak with media regarding the DNC Primary and the upcoming election. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.