With Democratic race narrowing, Clinton rips into Sanders Washington Post

On Tuesday, she broadened her critique, arguing that if Sanders wouldn’t combat the National Rifle Association, he can’t be trusted to take on other special interests.

“If you’re going to go around saying you stand up to special interests then stand up to that most powerful special interest — stand up to the gun lobby,” she said, as she accepted the backing of a major gun control advocacy group.

Clinton added: “Don’t talk to me about standing up to corporate interests and big powers. I’ve got the scars to show for it.”

The fresh critique marks an effort by Clinton to undermine the central argument of Sanders’ campaign— that the Vermont senator is an outsider offering liberals a “political revolution.” At one point, she alluded to his mantra, telling supporters, “If that’s the kind of ‘revolution’ he’s talking about, I’m worried, folks.”

AOC Question: Is Bernie Sanders more anti-gun control than Vermont voters?

Castleton Poll Measures Vermonters' Support for Gun Control Measures

President Obama's Last Big Speech

Obama hopes to pave way for Clinton with farewell State of the Union CNN

Though the White House says Obama will not endorse a candidate in the 2016 primary race, there is no doubt that he has long seen Clinton as the best hope for preserving his legacy.

In fact, that belief was one reason many people in the administration's inner circle were wary of a run by Vice President Joe Biden.

"I think Barack Obama believes that it is incredibly important that Hillary Cinton succeeds him," said a former close aide to Obama who is still connected with the White House. "The only way that we have an economy where people aren't losing their health care is if Hillary Clinton becomes president."

Jeff Shesol, who is familiar with the dynamic between a president and his preferred successor after working in the final years of the Clinton White House as a speechwriter, including on the State of the Union address, highlighted Obama's reliance on Clinton for his place in history.

"The single most important thing that could happen from here on out for the Obama legacy is the election of Hillary Clinton," he said.

NBC online Poll: Trump, Clinton Retail Double-Digit National Leads NBC News

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton holds a 15 point lead over Bernie Sanders among Democrats nationwide. The Democratic front-runner gets the backing of 52 percent of voters, while 37 percent support Sanders. Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley gets two percent.

Sanders bests Clinton by a wide margin with voters under 24 years old. Sixty-eight percent of these younger Democrats say they back Sanders, while just 26 percent support Clinton.

The former secretary of state has only a small advantage over Sanders with men (46 percent to 43 percent), but she boasts a significant lead with women (56 percent to 32 percent.) She also has a huge lead over Sanders with African Americans (63 percent to 20 percent) and Hispanics (54 percent to 33 percent).

That data also closely matches the NBC News|SurveyMonkey poll's findings from last week, when Clinton registered 53 percent support and Sanders received 36 percent.