It was one thing for Clinton to slip in national primary polls in the past week, it is quite another to do so in a crucial early voting state like New Hampshire!
Check out the full poll rundown plus the day's numerous other polls here.
But the new Rasmussen New Hampshire primary poll out this morning has Hillary sliding: She leads 34% to 24% for Barack Obama, 15% for John Edwards, and 8% for Bill Richardson. Rasmussen notes that 34% is the lowest Clinton has stooped to in the state all year. Last month, Rasmussen pitted the race at 40% to 17% -- a stark difference.
Clinton's inevitability narrative had emerged from the staggering leads she had built in every single contest except Iowa. She had gone up from a modest edge in NH and South Carolina last spring and early in the summer to massive double-digits leads throughout late summer and early fall, suggesting that Obama and Edwards could only stop her in Iowa. More worrisome for Clinton is that she had started to build such an advantage that even an Iowa stumble might not have hurt her enough. She might have dropped 10% in New Hampshire, but she was ahead by much more. But there is now a flurry of state and national polls showing a Clinton decline -- two months from the Iowa caucuses, Hillary should be careful.
At least, Clinton got some good news from a new USA Today/Gallup national poll that has her comfortably leading Giuliani nationally and has her at 50% in the Democratic primary.