A new national poll reveals that Hillary Clinton continues to maintain a strong lead in the 2016 presidential race, while Bernie Sanders is gradually gaining ground.

According to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, only 41 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support the former secretary of state, which is a double-digit drop compared to a USA TODAY poll released in August. On the other hand, the Sanders campaign is picking up steam with 23 percent of the vote while 20 percent of respondents said that they would back Vice President Joe Biden, despite the fact that he is not an official candidate.

Meanwhile, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee obtained only 1 percent in the poll, while Jim Webb had 0.5 percent and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley dropped from 1 percent in CNN's September survey to 0 percent, reports CNN.

Another 14 percent of voters said that they are still undecided.

Although Clinton maintains a strong 18-point lead over Sanders, the Vermont senator nearly outraised the former first lady, raising $25 million in donations compared to her $28 million.

"I support Hillary Clinton for a lack of any other real option," said William Sather, a 41-year-old who works for a production company in Minnesota, after being surveyed. "Bernie is swell and all, but I don't quite think he's electable." He added that he is concerned about Clinton's electability as well. "She's a terrific leader, it's just, I can understand there's a lot of gut-level hatred of her."

The poll, which was conducted between Sept. 24-28 among 1,000 likely voters, also shows that nearly 3-1 of the respondents believe that the controversy surrounding Clinton's use of a private email server while she was working as secretary of state would hurt her in a general election.

Furthermore, Clinton has also taken a dive in her favorability ratings. Back in July, 43 percent of Americans said they viewed Clinton in a favorable way while 47 percent had an unfavorable opinion of her. Now 51 percent see her in a negative light compared to 39 percent who maintain a positive view of her. In contrast, 37 percent of those surveyed gave Sanders a favorable rating while 33 percent said he deserved an unfavorable rating.