Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton still heads the pack of Democratic contenders for the White House, but has lost some steam as other candidates chip away at her lead, a CNN poll suggested.
The former first lady who for months had commanded a 30-point advantage over Illinois Senator Barack Obama saw that lead slip to 19 per cent, according to the survey by CNN/Opinion Research.
The poll, surveying 467 Democrats or independent voters likely to pick a Democrat for the White House, showed 44 per cent would choose Clinton while 25 per cent would vote for Obama. The margin of error was 4.5 percentage points.
Hillary Clinton notched up 51 per cent of likely voters and held a 30-point lead over her nearest rival Obama according to a similar CNN poll conducted in October.
Brickbats
Other Democratic contenders heaped criticism on Hillary Clinton during a discussion earlier this month, accusing her of shifting political positions depending on whose vote she was after.
Two other polls in the key state of New Hampshire, which traditionally holds the first presidential primary contest, showed similar results.
Lead slips
According to a University of New Hampshire poll, Hillary Clinton’s lead over the African-American senator slipped from 14 per cent from its previous 23 per cent.
And a poll by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion in New Hampshire showed Hillary Clinton’s lead slipping from 22 to 12 points.