A Warren loss to Sanders in Massachusetts would increase pressure on her to exit the race.
ADVERTISEMENTSen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has leapfrogged Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in her home state, a new Massachusetts Democratic primary poll released Friday shows.
In the latest poll of likely Bay State Democratic primary voters by WBUR, National Public Radio's Boston affiliate, Sanders got 25 percent of support, while Warren, who has represented the state in the Senate since 2013, got 17 percent of support.
Massachusetts is among the states that hold its primaries this coming Tuesday March 3, a day known as "Super Tuesday."
If Warren ends up losing her home state to Sanders — who has emerged as the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic nomination — it would increase pressure on her to exit the race.
Warren finished in third place in the Iowa caucus, fourth place in the New Hampshire primary and fourth place in the Nevada caucus. And in South Carolina, which holds its primary on Saturday, she is trailing four other candidates, according to RealClearPolitics' polling average.
Sanders' momentum has been growing amid his strong finishes in those states. He essentially tied for first place with Buttigieg in Iowa, placed first in New Hampshire and earned a blowout victory in Nevada, although he is polling behind former Vice President Joe Biden in South Carolina. An average of recent polling by FiveThirtyEight shows Sanders has opened up a wide lead over Warren in the last couple of weeks.
According to the WBUR poll, Sanders' support in the state comes from younger Democratic voters, with nearly half of respondents under the age of 45 saying they'd vote for him. Warren had just 16 percent support in that demographic.
Coming in after Sanders and Warren in the WBUR Massachusetts poll were Pete Buttigieg, with 14 percent of support, Mike Bloomberg, with 13 percent and Biden with 9 percent.
The WBUR poll was conducted Feb. 23 to 26, and has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.