Sanders has better chance against Trump in general election than Clinton, according to recent poll

Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders has a better chance than Democratic foe Hillary Clinton at beating presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to a recent Rasmussen poll.

A May 17-18 national telephone and online survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters asked:

If the 2016 presidential election were held today, would you vote for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Bernie Sanders?

Forty-five percent of those polled favored Sanders in the general election for president, with 41 percent choosing Trump.

Eight percent chose another candidate, with five percent undecided.

Clinton, however, does not fare so well when potential voters were asked to choose between her and Trump.

In the Rasmussen Reports first weekly White House Watch survey, released May 18, Trump leads Clinton 42 percent to 37 percent if the two were to face in the presidential general election.

That poll also found Sanders leading Trump 44 percent to 38 percent among independents, with Clinton losing to Trump 41 percent to 28 percent among unaffiliated voters.

In a Clinton versus Trump race 31 percent chose undecided or picked another candidate, with just 18 percent answering the same in a Sanders vs. Trump race.

The poll also found that voters under 40 overwhelmingly would select Sanders over Trump for president – 61 percent to 28 percent.

Both surveys were of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence..