Clinton, Sanders In Statistical Dead Heat Ahead Of California Primary

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — With just days to go before California's presidential primary, the race between Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is now a statistical tie, according to a new poll.

The USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times survey found that among all registered voters statewide, Sanders has moved ahead of Clinton by a single percentage point to a 44 percent to 43 percent lead – well within the poll's 3.7 percent margin of error for the primary - trailing Clinton by eight percentage points in March.

With "no party preference" voters eligible to vote in Tuesday's primary, Sanders nearly doubled his lead from 34 percent up to 50 percent in less than three months, according to the poll. That's up 16 points from Sanders' 44 percent to 35 percent lead in March.

"Bernie Sanders has tapped into a wellspring of support in the Democratic primary over the last several weeks and he's closing with a rush," said Dan Schnur, director of USC's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics. "If Clinton manages to hold him off and win the primary, it would be as a result of a low turnout that tilts the electorate in her direction."

Clinton has a far more substantial advantage with likely voters, with whom she holds a 10-point lead, largely a result of continued strong support from older voters.

But Schnur says if Sanders ends up winning California, "he's going to head into the Democratic convention with a tremendous amount of momentum and an immense amount of leverage."

"That will mean a very long and unpleasant summer for Clinton," he added.

Click here to read the full results of the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.