Joe Biden Surges To First Place In Latest Iowa Poll

Just two weeks remain until the critical Iowa caucuses, and it appears that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has pulled ahead to grab the top spot, reports Politico. Iowa is the first of the voting states for the Democratic nomination, and a victory for the former vice president would greatly suggest that he would win the nomination.

According to a poll conducted by The Focus on Rural America, Biden currently commands a strong lead at 24 percent. Next behind him comes Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at 18 percent, South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg at 16 percent, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at 14 percent.

The survey covered 500 likely voters and was conducted between January 15 and 18. The margin of error is 4.4 percentage points.

That said, what might have been the biggest finding from the poll was that a statistically high number of Democratic voters claimed that they would not necessarily vote for another Democrat if their chosen candidate was not given the nomination.

In response to what voters would do if their first choice in the caucuses was not available, 75 percent said they would choose another Democratic candidate, while 17 percent said they would remain uncommitted. Four percent said they would go home.

“It is significant the 17 percent [who] say they will remain uncommitted and may indicate that uncommitted will be viable in several precincts,” a statement from the group says.

For those that said they would go with another candidate, Biden reigned supreme once again. The former Delaware senator earned 24 percent of votes, while Buttigieg received 21 percent, Warren 16 percent, and Klobuchar seven percent.

The news that Biden is currently at first place in Iowa comes after Sanders had been holding the lead. As was previously reported by The Inquisitr, the self-described democratic-socialist had previously placed first with 20 percent of the vote, with Warren behind him at 17 percent.

However, a recent spat between Warren and Sanders over whether the former Burlington mayor had said that a woman could not win the presidency may have hurt both campaigns.

Moreover, Biden might have earned some support after winning the first high-profile endorsement from an Iowan — Representative Abby Finkenauer — earlier this month. The 31-year-old is considered by many politicos to be a rising star in the party and is the second-youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress, behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Joe Biden’s character, record, and commitment to rebuilding the backbone of the country — the middle class — is what Iowa and this country needs,” Finkenauer said in her endorsement, as reported by CNN.