Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is sending at least 150 staffers from her headquarters in Brooklyn to New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday's primary in the early voting state with the hope of closing what currently stands as a massive gap between herself and the state's poll leader, Bernie Sanders.
The decision to temporarily relocate what is estimated to be as much as half of the Brooklyn staff to New Hampshire appears to reflect a strategy within the top campaign advisers that more Clinton bodies are needed in the field to take on Bernie Sanders, according to BuzzFeed. However, given the considerable gap between the two candidates in poll numbers, it appears that the best the Clinton campaign could hope for in New Hampshire is to lessen the spread and stave off an embarrassing loss.
"I've won and I've lost there, and it's a lot better to win," Clinton said on Tuesday morning from New Hampshire, The Washington Post reported. "It's a great tribute to the organization and our support there. And we're bringing all that energy and all that excitement, all that determination right here to New Hampshire."
Bill Clinton said on Monday that it will be an uphill battle for his wife, given the proximity of the state to Sanders' home state of Vermont. "They never voted against anybody from next door except when an incumbent president asked them to do something else," Clinton said, according to AFP.
Top Clinton campaign advisers are aware of the disadvantages, as well. "New Hampshire is his back yard and we are behind," Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri said. "Hillary Clinton's way is to fight hard for the vote, and we'll take it from there."
In recent polling, Sanders leads Clinton in New Hampshire by nearly 20 points. In polling averages compiled by RealClear Politics, Sanders has 55.8 percent support in the early voting state, while Clinton sits at 37.7 percent support.
