Clinton and Sanders Turn Up the Heat on Their 'Home' Turf
— -- New York appears to be turning into the newest battleground state for the Democratic presidential candidates.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders keeps touting his Brooklyn birthplace but he is still trailing Hillary Clinton, who adopted New York as her home state and served as its senator for two terms. Democrats will vote in the state's primary on April 19.
Bernie's Battle
In the latest Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, 54 percent of Democrats in New York support Hillary Clinton compared to 42 percent for Sanders, but Sanders may be picking up momentum.
More than 18,500 people attended a Sanders rally in the Bronx on Thursday night, with the crowd spilling out of the venue. Some Sanders supporters were even forced to sit in trees.
"We think we've got a real shot here in New York," Sanders said on "Good Morning America" today.
The Sanders campaign also announced that it raised $44 million in March -- a new fundraising record for the campaign.
What's At Stake
The 247 pledged delegates available for the Democrats in New York are awarded proportionally, meaning that the candidates are awarded a proportional number of delegates to the amount of the vote they earn.
There are also an additional 44 superdelegates -- party leaders or elected officials -- who are able to support a candidate of their choosing at any point in the process, including waiting until the convention in July.
Next Moves
Sanders is headed back to Wisconsin today to campaign ahead of the Badger State's primary on Tuesday. Clinton stays in New York and hosts two events in Syracuse.
Clinton's decision to focus on voters upstate is not surprising, according to the analysts at Quinnipiac.
"When she was New York's junior senator, Clinton worked hard to woo upstaters, but it's only astronomical leads in New York City that build her big overall margins," a Quinnipiac press release said.
The Quinnipiac poll reports that Clinton has a 59 percent to 37 percent lead over Sanders with women, but Sanders has a 57 to 43 advantage with self-described "very liberal" Democrats. Clinton leads among those considering themselves "somewhat liberal" and "moderate to liberal."
