Poll: Hillary Clinton has strong lead in SC, Nevada Democratic presidential primaries

Hillary Clinton holds strong leads over other Democratic presidential hopefuls in South Carolina and Nevada, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

The survey found that 49 percent of likely S.C. Democratic primary voters pick Clinton as their top candidate, giving her a double-digit lead over Vice President Joe Biden. Biden, who has not announced whether he is running, was picked by 24 percent of S.C. voters surveyed.

Trailing were U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at 18 percent support and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley with 3 percent support.

In Nevada, Clinton has 50 percent support from likely primary voters, followed by Sanders at 34 percent, Biden at 12 percent and the rest of the field, winning less than 1 percent support, the CNN/ORC poll found.

Clinton’s lead in South Carolina and Nevada expands without Biden in the race, the poll says. Absent the vice president, Clinton’s support jumped to 70 percent in South Carolina and 58 percent in Nevada. Sanders’ support only increased by 2 percent.

The poll results of the survey, conducted from Oct. 3 through Oct. 10, come as Democratic presidential hopefuls prepare for their first debate Tuesday in Las Vegas.

South Carolina and Nevada “could prove to be a firewall” for Clinton, who has a narrow lead in Iowa and trails in New Hampshire, states whose nominating contests are first and second, according to CNN.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Poll: Hillary Clinton has strong lead in SC, Nevada Democratic presidential primaries."