WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is leading a crowded field of Democratic presidential contenders in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
The latest CNN-University of New Hampshire poll finds Sanders at 21 percent, followed closely by Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts standing at 18 percent.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is currently the frontrunner in most national polls, ranks third at 15 percent, as Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, secures the fourth place at 10 percent.
Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota tie at 5 percent.
The poll is one of qualifying surveys for the Democratic Party's sixth primary debate scheduled for December.
To qualify for the debate, which will be the last of the year, candidates must receive 4 percent or more support in at least four polls, including national polls or polls in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada. Polls must be released by approved pollsters between Oct. 16 and Dec. 12.
Candidates can also meet the polling criteria by securing 6-percent support in two single-state polls in the four early voting states.
In addition, candidates need to get at least 200,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 800 per state in at least 20 U.S. states, U.S. territories, or the District of Columbia.
The CNN-University of New Hampshire poll surveyed 574 likely 2020 Democratic primary voters on Oct. 21-27 with a 4.1-percentage-point margin of error.
