Klobuchar gains ground in New Hampshire; Sanders holds lead in polls

'LONG TIME COMING'

A pair of polls released late on Sunday and early on Monday showed Klobuchar pulling into third place behind Sanders and Buttigieg following the party's debate in New Hampshire on Friday.

"We feel the surge, for me it's been a long time coming," said Klobuchar, a moderate from Minnesota, noting she had visited New Hampshire 23 times since she entered the presidential race a year ago.

Klobuchar told a crowd of more than 200 at Keene State College that she was the candidate who could appeal to independents and Republicans disenchanted with Trump's divisive policies and rhetoric.

"There are a bunch of moderate Republicans and independents out there who feel this and know just what I'm talking about," she said. "You need a candidate with big coattails who brings people with her."

Although she criticized Buttigieg in Friday night's debate, Klobuchar refrained from mentioning any of her rivals on the campaign trail, sticking to her promise to unite the country, lower drug prices, improve infrastructure and increase funding for treatment of drug addiction and mental health issues.

A Boston Globe poll, conducted with Suffolk University and WBZ-TV, showed Sanders with 27%, Buttigieg with 19% and Klobuchar with 14% among 500 likely voters polled over the weekend in New Hampshire. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

A separate poll by WHDH/Emerson College also showed Klobuchar pulling into third.

Klobuchar rose after former Vice President Joe Biden, a fellow moderate, stumbled in Iowa and showed an uneven performance in New Hampshire, where he called a voter on Sunday "a lying dog-faced pony soldier."