Iowa is feeling the "Bern."
Surging 2016 candidate Bernie Sanders has overtaken Hillary Clinton for the lead in the Democratic presidential race in the critical early-voting Hawkeye State, a new poll released Thursday showed.
The Vermont senator got the support of 51% of likely Iowa caucus-goers, compared to 43% for Clinton, according to the latest CNN/ORC poll.
Sanders' 8-percentage point lead over the former secretary state is outside of the poll's 6-percentage-point margin-of-error.
According to the CNN/ORC poll, Sanders' success in the state is because of the popularity of his economic message.
Democratic caucus-goers surveyed said they trusted Sanders over Clinton on the economy by 22 percentage points, and 67% said they felt his proposals would help the middle class. Only 30% of those polled said they felt Clinton's economic policies would help the middle class.
The latest results, released just 11 days before the Iowa caucuses, suggest the liberal message of the self-identifying Democratic socialist is resonating with voters.
As recent as last month, Clinton led Sanders by 18 percentage points in a CNN/ORC poll, 54% to 36%.
And in New Hampshire, which hosts the nation's first primary, Sanders is handily beating Clinton, who had for months been seen as the party's undisputed front-runner for the nomination.
A Real Clear Politics average of recent polls show him up 52% to 39%.
