Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich Gaining Momentum in New Hampshire Presidential Primary

The Survey Center at the University of New Hampshire has released its latest polling data on the upcoming New Hampshire Presidential Primary. The data shows Dennis Kucinich and Hillary Clinton gaining momentum in the Granite State's Democratic primary for president. Support for the other Democratic candidates for president appears to have peaked and may be in decline in New Hampshire

The latest poll by the UNH Survey Center was conducted from September 17-24, 2007. A total of 307 voters who were likely to participate in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire were surveyed. Of those surveyed 41 percent supported Hillary Clinton. Barrack Obama enjoyed the support of 19 percent of those surveyed. John Edwards was reported to have the support of 11 percent of those surveyed. 7 percent of those surveyed supported Al Gore, who had not officially entered the race. 6 percent reported supporting Bill Richardson, and both Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich were supported by 3 percent of those surveyed.

The UNH Survey Center has been tracking levels of public support for the Democratic candidates for president since February of 2005. The trends revealed by this data show that support for most of the Democratic candidates peaked among New Hampshire voters likely to vote in Democratic Presidential Primary. Two exceptions stand out: Hillary Clinton and Dennis Kucinich. Support for Hillary Clinton has now reached a new height in New Hampshire, according to the poll. The same is true for Kucinich, who was polling at 1 percent earlier in the year. Support for Kucinich has tripled since June of this year.

Support for second place candidate Barrack Obama peaked at 25 percent in July of this year. Support for Obama has since dropped six points, according to the poll. John Edwards reached his peak back in July of 2006, when 22 percent of voters likely to participate in the New Hampshire Democratic primary were reported to support his campaign. As of September of this year support for Edwards had dropped to 11 percent in the poll. Al Gore enjoyed the support of 12 percent of those surveyed in June of this year, but had dropped to 7 percent by September. Support for Bill Richardson peaked at 10 percent in June and July of this year, but had dropped down to 6 percent by September. Support for Joe Biden peaked at 8 percent way back in July of 2005, and now rests at 3 percent in the poll. Support for Chris Dodd has yet to surpass 1 percent, according to the Survey Center Data.

The primary still remains up in the air with only a few months left for candidates to appeal to voters in New Hampshire. 55 percent of those polled reported that they were still deciding who they would cast their ballot for in the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary. Another 28 percent reported that they were leaning towards a candidate. Only 17 percent had definitely decided who they would be voting for in the election. Winning or exceeding expectations in New Hampshire Presidential Primary has long been viewed as a key element of a successful presidential campaign, due to the state's early voting status.