Closing In On Clinton: Bernie Sanders Receives Key New Hampshire Endorsement, Narrows Gap With Democratic Front-Runner

Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign is picking up momentum in New Hampshire. The Independent senator from Vermont received an endorsement from an important New Hampshire activist. Dudley Dudley, a New Hampshire Democratic activist, announced on Friday that she is supporting Sander's bid for the White House, CNN reported.

"He's very believable," Dudley told CNN. "A lot of people seem to say a lot of things that don't come to pass. I feel that he is compelling and trustworthy and I'm hoping that he will get the nomination."

The endorsement is the latest sign that Sanders' campaign is gaining on the former secretary of state in the granite state. The latest poll from CNN and WMUR has the self-described socialist trailing Clinton by 8 points in New Hampshire, with 35 percent for Sanders and 43 percent for Clinton. Two months ago, Clinton was ahead by 38 percentage points.

The Sanders campaign is also picking up steam overall. At a recent campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, he drew in 10,000 people, his largest crowd yet. According to MSNBC, Topsy, a site that tracks social media, found that the most popular Sanders 2016-related hashtag tweeted was #FeelTheBern, which was tweeted an average of 6,800 times per day between June 25 and July 1. The hashtag #Hillary2016 was tweeted an average of 2,700 times per day.

The endorsement also doesn't bode well for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was also seeking Dudley's endorsement. According to CNN, Dudley hosted O'Malley at her two homes in Durham, New Hampshire a few months ago.

As CNN notes, however, Dudley's endorsement history has been rather mixed. In the 2008 primary, the New Hampshire activist supported President Barack Obama, who lost New Hampshire to Clinton, but won the nomination nationally. In 1992, she unsuccessfully endorsed Paul Tsongas over Bill Clinton.