Polls closed in Wisconsin at 9 p.m. Tuesday as Hillary Clinton braces for another primary loss to Sen. Bernard Sanders, who has vowed to take his fight for the Democratic presidential nomination all the way to the party convention in July.
The race remains too close to call, but Mr. Sanders has been leading in recent polling. The latest Real Clear Politics average of all polls has the Vermont senator up to 2.6 points, but some surveys have shown him with a much larger lead.
CNN exit polls Tuesday showed Mr. Sanders with 55 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Mrs. Clinton.
A Wisconsin loss wouldn’t put much of a dent in Mrs. Clinton’s significant edge in the all-important delegate race, but it would give the Sanders campaign additional momentum and could again highlight the problems the former secretary of state is encountering as she tries to win over progressive Democrats.
Exit polls show that, for example, she continues to be seen as dishonest by a significant number of Democrats.
Only six in 10 Wisconsin Democrats said she’s honest and trustworthy, compared to 9 in 10 for Mr. Sanders, according to ABC News exit polling.
There’s also a significant enthusiasm gap between the two. Fifty-six percent of Democrats in Wisconsin said Mr. Sanders inspires them about the future of the country. Only 41 percent said that about Mrs. Clinton.
But Mrs. Clinton’s strengths lie in the fact that many Democrats see her policies as more realistic, and believe she’s a better bet to defeat the Republican nominee in the fall.
According to CNBC exit polling, 54 percent of Wisconsin Democrats said they want a leader who will continue Mr. Obama’s policies - something Mrs. Clinton has made very clear she will do. Just 31 percent said they hope for more liberal policies.
In addition, 55 percent of Wisconsin Democrats said they believe Mrs. Clinton can defeat Republican Donald Trump in November. Only 42 percent said the same of Mr. Sanders, despite the fact that some polling has shown the senator beating Mr. Trump by a greater margin than Mrs. Clinton.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.