Hillary Clinton Is Really Nervous About New Hampshire: Chelsea Clinton Latest Surrogate To Campaign In Granite State

Hillary Clinton appears to be getting seriously worried about her prospects in New Hampshire. As the Democratic front-runner ramps up her campaigning efforts this month ahead of the first 2016 primary contests, her daughter Chelsea Clinton is scheduled to hit the trail next week, following her father as the whole Clinton family turns their attention to voters in the Granite State, the Associated Press reported.

The former first daughter is expected to make three stops in New Hampshire Tuesday, focusing on women’s rights and how her mother can help families through policies like expanded early childhood education. After largely staying behind the scenes for the past several months, Clinton’s daughter is set to take a larger role in her campaign going forward. In addition to her campaign trail appearances, she is set to host a fundraiser at the popular spin studio SoulCycle later this month.

But the fact that Clinton has called in her family to help isn’t the only sign she’s feeling pressure to win over voters in New Hampshire. Clinton’s main rival for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has been leading in Granite State polls for some time. He holds a polling average of 47.8 percent to her 45.3 percent, and while he likely gets a bonus of support because New Hampshire is so close to his home state, the Clinton campaign doesn’t want to take any chances.

Clinton’s Campaign Manager Robby Mook sent out a desperate email to supporters Wednesday asking them for help with efforts in New Hampshire and Iowa. With a subject line that just read “nervous,” the email told supporters that Sanders was outspending Clinton in TV advertising in the first two states of primary and caucus season.

“Adding more TV ads just isn't in our budget,” Mook said in the Wednesday email. “We're locked into spending critical funds on organizing and field offices, and if we cut into that budget, we'll lose what this campaign is all about. I'm not going to do that. The only way to fix this is with your help.”

The campaign has used this tactic before. In several other emails to supporters recently, Clinton’s campaign has emphasized how much money Bernie Sanders is raising and warned her supporters that they could “lose Iowa or New Hampshire,” and even that they could lose the nomination.

Before the end of the fourth fundraising quarter, Sanders was thought to be on pace to surpass Clinton in funds. While that didn’t happen, the Vermont senator pulled in $33 million in the last three months of 2015, smashing the goals his campaign had set last spring. Clinton raised $37 million during that period, easily surpassing her own goal of $100 million, but her campaign has remained concerned about its efforts in the early states.

Helping out Chelsea Clinton as surrogates for the former secretary of state are a slew of celebrities. Actress Lena Dunham and soccer star Abby Wambach were expected to be in New Hampshire Friday campaigning for Clinton, and other lawmakers, such as Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, were in the state this week as well.

The latest poll conducted in New Hampshire, from Public Policy Polling, actually had Clinton up on Sanders by three points, but Clinton is unlikely to let that make her complacent as she marches on toward the nominating contests.