Columbus, Ohio (CNN) Hillary Clinton confessed Thursday to something liberals have long suspected: being a moderate Democrat.

"You know, I get accused of being kind of moderate and center," Clinton told the audience at a Women for Hillary event in Ohio. "I plead guilty."

The line is new for Clinton, who spent a large portion of her early campaign casting herself as a liberal fighter who has been progressive for her entire life. To many on the left, those lines never really rang true.

"I take a backseat to no one," Clinton told a New Hampshire audience in July, "When you look at my record in standing up and fighting for progressive values."

That line was seen as a subtle shot at independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is running to the left of Clinton. Polls at the time had Sanders behind Clinton by around 8 percentage points. Today, on the other hand, a series of polls have shown Sanders winning in New Hampshire and a Quinnipiac University poll out Thursday had the senator even with Clinton in Iowa.

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