A poll released this week found Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vt.) in a virtual deadlock in California, igniting the possibility that the former secretary of state could clinch the Democratic nomination without the backing of the nation’s most populous state.

Clinton, who led Sanders by seven points in March, now leads her Democratic challenger 46 percent to 44 percent, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday night.

The numbers mark a stark turnaround for the Clinton campaign, which had readied itself for a win in the state to cap off the contentious primary race.

Though Clinton is projected to earn the majority of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination before polls close in the June 7 election, a California loss would place Clinton on shaky ground heading into the general.