New National Poll Has Joe Biden At The Top, Despite Recent Drop In State Polls
A newly released national poll brought former Vice President Joe Biden‘s campaign team some much-needed good news on Friday, as it revealed that on a national level, Biden still leads the large field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
According to The Hill, Biden scored high marks in the Harvard CAPS/Harris survey of 1,810 likely primary voters, coming in with 33 percent support. That number is a double-digit lead over his closest competitor in the poll, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who managed to tally 18 percent support.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has easily given Biden a run for his money in a number of recent state polls, came in third at 15 percent support.
Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll explained to The Hill his interpretation of the new data.
“Biden continues to lead the pack but most Democratic voters are open to switching and so his lead is somewhat precarious, especially given polls recent early states,” Penn said. “Biden remains the one viewed as a centrist and most electable if the major candidates.”
It’s important to note that The Hill indicated that the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll data came from an “online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics.” Full results are expected to be unveiled later in the week.
Biden’s big win in the national poll results came on the same day his campaign took a massive hit in a The New York Times/Siena College poll out of the crucially important early-voting state of Iowa. That poll gave the top spot to Warren, who managed to grab 22 percent support. Sanders and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in at 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively, leaving Biden with a fourth place showing at 17 percent.
Even with the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent, it painted a dim view of Biden’s prospects in the Hawkeye State — a state known for their ultra-early caucus vote that takes place in February and helps set the tone for the remaining early-voting states.
Both polls come on the same day that the Democratic field shrunk, as former Texas lawmaker Beto O’Rourke shocked the political world by announcing he was dropping out, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.
O’Rourke provided a quick statement on why he decided to exit the 2020 Democratic field.
“Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully. My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee,” O’Rourke said, before reassuring his supporters that he’ll “proudly” support whomever the Democratic National Committee chooses as the 2020 nominee.
