New Hampshire polls show Sanders, Buttigieg on top in final stretch

Sen. Bernie Sanders maintains a slight lead over Pete Buttigieg in the upcoming New Hampshire primary, according to new polls conducted by the University of New Hampshire for CNN and WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University.

Why it matters: The high-stakes primary is just two days away. Sanders and Buttigieg finished in a virtual tie in last week's Iowa caucuses, and both candidates appear set for another strong performance in a state Sanders won by more than 20 points in 2016.

CNN poll, by the numbers:

• Sanders: 28%
• Buttigieg: 21%
• Joe Biden: 12%
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren: 9%
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar: 6%
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: 5%
• Andrew Yang: 4%

Suffolk poll, by the numbers:

• Sanders: 24%
• Buttigieg: 22%
• Warren: 13%
• Biden: 10%
• Klobuchar: 9%
• Yang: 3%
• Gabbard: 2%

The big picture: Results like these on Tuesday could be a death blow to the campaigns of Warren, Klobuchar, Gabbard and Yang, who have a tough path to victory beyond the early voting states.

• It would also be a disappointing result for Joe Biden, who acknowledged at the Democratic debate on Friday that he "took a hit in Iowa" and would likely take another one in New Hampshire.
• The former vice president maintains strong support among people of color, however, meaning his candidacy is likely more viable long-term than many of his competitors.

Worth noting: Only 53% of those surveyed in the CNN poll said they have "definitely decided" who to vote for.

CNN Methodology: This poll was conducted Feb. 5–8 among a random sample of 384 likely Democratic primary voters, with a margin of error of ± 5.0%.

Suffolk Methodology: This poll was conducted Feb. 7–8 among a random sample of 500 likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters, with a margin of error of ± 4.4%