The momentum for Senator Bernie Sanders just keep growing as a brand new Quinnipiac Poll released Tuesday afternoon has Sanders leading in the Democratic polls by 5 points.

The poll shows Bernie with 49 percent of Democratic support in Iowa while Hillary holds 45 percent. O’Malley also holds a cozy four percent, which would actually be substantial if he were in the GOP.

Back in December, this same poll reported that Hillary was enjoying 50 percent support in Iowa while Bernie sat at 40 percent.

These positive results for the Sanders campaign join the other polls in Iowa and New Hampshire which show Bernie leading or closely tailing Clinton in the key states. With half a month until the Iowa Caucus, these polling results are more important now than ever.

There are some concerning results in this latest poll, though, as it displays a large gender gap in who supports Senator Sanders.

“There is a yawning gender gap as men back Sanders 61 – 30 percent, with 6 percent for O’Malley, while women back Clinton 55 – 39 percent, with 3 percent for O’Malley.”

The poll also reveals troubling results about whether or not Iowa Democrats feel Sanders could win a general election.

“85 percent of Democrats say Clinton would have a good chance of winning in November, while 68 percent say Sanders has a good chance of winning the main event.”

This frustrating gap between those who support Sanders but do not believe he has a chance to win is a direct result of the establishment and the efforts by people in the Hillary Clinton Camp to discredit Sanders’ chances in the election. If all of those individuals who support Sanders would vote for him wholeheartedly, then, as this poll clearly shows, Sanders would win.

Sydney Robinson is a political writer for the Ring of Fire Network. She has also appeared in political news videos for Ring of Fire. Sydney has a degree in English Literature from the University of West Florida, and has an active interest in politics, social justice, and environmental issues. She would love to hear from you on Twitter @SydneyMkay or via email at srobinson@ringoffireradio.com