Poll finds Clinton with dominant lead in Iowa

A new poll of Iowa Democrats shows Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton with a dominant lead in the early caucus state.

But the poll also found that 52 percent of Iowa Democrats think the controversy surrounding her use of a private email server while leading the State Department will hurt her in a general election match-up.

{mosads}Fifty-four percent of Iowa Democrats support Clinton, according to a Suffolk University Poll released Tuesday.

That’s 34 percentage points more than the 20 percent who back Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Vice President Biden, who has not announced his candidacy, got 11 percent, while former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) garnered 4 percent.

The remaining percentage of voters were either undecided or supportive of other candidates. 

“There is a fierce loyalty to Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa,” Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos said in a statement. 

Seventy-six percent of Iowa Democrats say that Clinton did not break the law when she opted to use a private email server; 9 percent say she did break the law; 15 percent are unsure, according to the poll.

“Despite reports suggesting her vulnerability, these Democratic voters say they don’t believe she broke the law,” Paleologos said in a statement. “They are sticking by her in large numbers, even though a majority believes the email scandal will hurt her in the general election.”

The poll surveyed 500 likely Democratic Iowa presidential caucus voters between Aug. 20 and Aug. 24. It has a margin of error between plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.