HILLARY CLINTON’S LEAD OVER SANDERS NEARLY VANISHES

With just 21 days until the presidential primaries officially begin in Iowa, Hillary Clinton’s support among Democrats nationally has taken a serious tumble, falling eight points to 43%, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll. Support for her chief rival, Bernie Sanders, climbed six points to 39%.

As a result, Clinton’s lead over Sanders, which had been 18 points, is now just 4 points.

Other polls have shown the race tightening in Iowa, which holds its caucuses on Feb. 1, and New Hampshire, which has its primary eight days later. Two recent New Hampshire surveys have Sanders in the lead, and the latest NBC poll in Iowa has Sanders just three points behind Clinton.

But the IBD/TIPP Poll is the first to show the race significantly tightening nationwide.

With just 21 days until the presidential primaries officially begin in Iowa, Hillary Clinton's support among Democrats nationally has taken a serious tumble, falling eight points to 43%, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll. Support for her chief rival, Bernie Sanders, rose six points to 39%.

As a result, Clinton's lead over Sanders, which had been 18 points, is now just four points.

Other polls have shown the race tightening in Iowa, which holds its caucuses on Feb. 1, and New Hampshire, which has its primary eight days later. Two recent New Hampshire surveys haveSanders in the lead, and the latest NBC poll in Iowa has Sanders just three points behind Clinton.

But the IBD/TIPP Poll is the first to show the race significantly tightening nationwide.

Clinton Goes On Attack

Clinton, in response to her sagging poll numbers, has started to turn up the heat on Sanders, after all but ignoring the self-described socialist whose maverick campaign has been surprisingly resilient. CNN reported over the weekend that "a sense of anxiety is cascading through Hillary Clinton's campaign" over Sanders' gains.

Clinton recently attacked Sanders on his position on gun control, and released a campaign ad in Iowa and New Hampshire asserting that she is "the only one" who can beat whoever the Republican Party nominates.

And on Monday, in a clear attempt to appeal to Sanders' supporters, Clinton announced in Iowa her plans to impose a 4% "fair share surcharge" on incomes over $5 million. Sanders has proposed a series of tax hikes on the rich in the name of "income equality."

Clinton in recent weeks also has decried drug "price gouging" and attacked big merger deals, despite receiving heavy Wall Street donations, to try to shore up her left flank.

The IBD/TIPP Poll shows that regionally, Clinton saw her support drop most in the Northeast (where it fell to 36% from 50%) and the West (37% down from 49%). Sanders now holds the lead in both places. Clinton support also tumbled among suburban voters, dropping to 39% from last a month's 50%. And she has lost backing among moderate Democrats, falling to 44% from 58%. Sanders picked up 10 points among moderates, to 37%.

Trump Extends GOP Lead

On the GOP side, Donald Trump extended his lead over his GOP rivals, with 34% now backing the real estate tycoon, up from 27%. His support is now nearly equal to his three closest rivals combined.

The field under Trump has shuffled, however, as Ted Cruz takes the second place spot — with 18% — from Ben Carson, whose support collapsed to 8% from last month's 15%. Marco Rubio remains in third, but his support fell to 9% from 14%.

Trump continues to poll better among less-educated and less-affluent Republicans. He gets 41% support among those with a high school education, but just 30% of those with a college degree. He polls best among those with incomes between $30,000 and$50,000 — 42% of whom back Trump.

Although Trump depicts himself as an outsider and a conservative, he does far better among moderate and liberal Republicans than his rivals. Thirty-nine percent of moderates support Trump, and 68% of liberal Republicans. (The numbers in these categories were very small, however, making the findings less conclusive.)

Peak Trump?

The IBD/TIPP Poll also suggests that Trump's support could be close to its peak. When asked to name their second choice for the GOP nomination, only 9% of Republicans picked Trump, while 24% named Cruz.

When first and second choices are combined, Trump and Cruz are in a dead heat.

Other findings in the January IBD/TIPP Poll:

48% disapprove of the job President Obama is doing, up from 46% last month.

60% think the country is headed in the wrong direction, down from 66%.

58% are not satisfied with current federal economic policies.

46% think the economy is improving, down slightly from 48% last month.

The share of "job sensitive" households — those with either unemployed or those concerned about losing their jobs — dropped to 28% this month, from 36% last month.

The IBD/TIPP Poll was conducted Jan. 4-8, surveying 967 Americans, giving it an overall margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points. The poll was taken by live interviewers using both land and cell phones.

For the party rankings, the poll included 414 registered Republicans or those who lean Republican, with a margin of error for the GOP results of +/-4.9 percentage points. There were 378 Democrats or Democratic leaners surveyed, with a margin of error of +/-5.1 percentage points.

The IBD/TIPP Poll has a proven track record for accuracy, based on its performance in the past three presidential elections. In a comparison of the final results of various pollsters for the 2004 and 2008 elections, IBD/TIPP was the most accurate. And the New York Times concluded that IBD/TIPP was the most accurate among 23 polls over the three weeks leading up to the 2012 election.