Hill.TV host Krystal Ball declared Monday that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is “exactly where he needs to be to win the Democratic nomination.”
“Now you all know I have held back on saying this and I do so today very cautiously, but I just can’t deny the fundamentals anymore,” Ball said, pointing to Sanders’s recent surge in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Ball also argued Sanders has built out a national organizing infrastructure “to be able to capitalize on the momentum that would come from winning those first two states.”
A Des Moines Register/CNN poll released Friday showed Sanders leading the Democratic field in Iowa with 20 percent support followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 17 percent.
Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg placed third at 16 percent, while former Vice President Joe Biden trailed with 15 percent support.
Meanwhile, a Monmouth University poll of New Hampshire released last week showed Sanders with a spike in support, putting him in close competition with Buttigieg, Sanders and Warren.
The Monmouth poll showed Buttigieg with a narrow lead at 20 percent followed by Biden at 19 percent, Sanders at 18 percent and Warren at 15 percent.
Ball’s comments come as the four top-tier candidates prepare to face off in Tuesday night’s debate in Iowa. It marks the last big primary event before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. hill tv