Rasmussen: Hillary Trouncing Obama Among Iowa Youth

Rasmussen Reports has produced new polling numbers on the Iowa Caucus, including the first results of what young Iowans think of the Democratic field. A look at the cross tabs reveal that Hillary Clinton has a shockingly large lead over Obama among young Iowans. 40% of 18-29 year old respondents expressed support for Senator Clinton in the upcoming caucus, compared to 23% for Senator Obama, and 15% for Senator Edwards.

There are some caveats here. 18-29 year olds only comprised 8% of the overall sample - a low number to be sure, but not necessarily so low that the results can be disregarded. There are also factors that make Iowa polling difficult:

Polling for caucus participants is challenging for a variety of reasons including the fact that such a small percentage of the voting age population actually participates. Also, with such small numbers of actual participants, campaign organization techniques can have a significant impact on the actual turnout. Weather and other factors can also influence the final participation and outcome.

Rasmussen is also quick to note that much of the candidate's support is still fluid at this point in the race. That said, this is yet another piece in a growing body of evidence that Obama does not have a lock on the youth vote, despite the prevailing media narrative to the contrary.