Updated

Don't look now Hillary Clinton, but Bernie Sanders is polling strong in New Hampshire.

The independent Vermont senator who is running for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination garnered 31 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the Granite State. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won 41 percent, according to a new Suffolk University poll.

"Most political observers felt that Hillary Clinton's large early lead among Democratic voters would eventually [shrink] a bit over time," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. "But in New Hampshire right now, the lead has shrunk a lot, and this is a much different Democratic primary race than we are seeing in other states so far."

Gender could end up being the deciding factor for the primary matchup between Sanders and Clinton. Forty-seven percent of female voters said they would vote for Clinton, compared to 28 percent who backed Sanders. Sanders is in the lead with men, 35 percent to 32 percent.

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