New York's ex-Senator finally has a decent day...in New York

APRIL 8, 2016 — For the first time this month, Clinton's performance against GOP candidates exceeded Sanders'. It happened in New York, where she served as US Senator for eight years and has close ties to Wall Street billionaires and hedge fund managers.

In a New York poll conducted by Emerson College, just released, Sanders beat both Trump and Cruz by wide margins, but Clinton's margins were slightly wider, a rarity.

vs TRUMP: Though Trump is another New Yorker, Sanders beat him by 13 points and Clinton by 18 points.

vs CRUZ: Sanders trounced the Texan by 27 points and Clinton by 28 points. Clinton's 1-point performance advantage over Sanders was not significant, however, because the poll's margin of error was 3.3 points.

Context: The ultra-right Texas senator has sneered at New Yorkers in his presidential campaign and this week was booed and heckled out of The Bronx. In addition to being the most hated man in the US Senate — a substantial achievement, given the competition — Cruz may arguably be one of the most hated men in New York.

Where is Kasich? Emerson published a Clinton-vs-Kasich matchup but, unfortunately, not one for Sanders vs Kasich. BernieWorks.com reports matchups only when a poll provides data for both Sanders and Clinton against a given GOP contender.

We call these "paired matchups." We believe they provide the most realistic picture by which to compare the relative performance of Sanders and Clinton against specific GOP candidates in the general election. Apples to apples!