Bernie Sanders managed to grab headlines in recent weeks, but Hillary Clinton remains the clear front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination and holds a lead of almost 20 percentage points over her most dangerous rival, according to a new poll.

The former secretary of state is backed by 52 percent of Democratic primary voters, while Sanders receives support from 33 percent, The New York Times reported, based on the survey it conducted in collaboration with CBS News. Nevertheless, Clinton's lead has shrunk somewhat, the newspaper pointed out. In an early October CBS News poll, she led Sanders 56 percent to 32 percent.

The two main Democratic White House hopefuls will again face off when they meet at their party's second debate, which is set to take place on Saturday in the key early-caucus state of Iowa, The Hill noted. Also participating in the Des Moines Register-sponsored encounter will be former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was backed by only 5 percent in The New York Times/CBS News poll.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC), meanwhile, has denied that it is trying to solidify Clinton's lead by scheduling its debates in time slots that lead to relatively poor viewership, Vox reported. TV ratings are generally lower on Friday and Saturday nights, and there has never been a general election debate on a Saturday night, the website said.

Clinton is performing particularly strongly among women, but men only narrowly break for the former first lady and New York senator, CBS News detailed. The 74-year-old Sanders, meanwhile, enjoys significant appeal with the younger generations. Democrats under age 45 support the socialist senator, and Sanders also leads among independents who plan to vote in the Democratic primary.

The New York Times/CBS News survey was conducted by telephone between Nov. 6 and Nov. 10 among a random sample of 1,495 adults nationwide, including 1,259 registered voters, the network revealed. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.