WASHINGTON—There was a time when Democrats fretted about Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign becoming a coronation and leaving her without the tests of a primary season to prepare for a general election matchup against the Republican nominee.
No one is worried about that anymore.
In the past two weeks, the Democratic race has gone from a relatively civil disagreement over policy to a contentious winter competition between former Secretary of State Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Clinton’s institutional strength and her support among the minority voters who make up a large portion of the party’s base still put her in a formidable position, even as polls show Sanders surging in Iowa and maintaining an edge in New Hampshire.
But should Sanders prevail in those first two states on the 2016 campaign calendar, Clinton’s bid to succeed President Barack Obama may mean a much longer and messier path than her supporters once envisioned. It would plunge Democrats into the kind of primary fight they have gleefully watched Republicans struggle to contain in the past year.
“You have to look at these numbers and say there’s a real race going on,” said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman. “It’s a race where Hillary Clinton has significant advantages in the long run. But it’s a real race.”
