During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary debate in New Hampshire on Friday night, Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg sparred over campaign contributions . Sanders criticized Buttigieg for accepting funds from billionaires, Wall Street, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Buttigieg surged in the polls after a strong showing in Iowa, and he endured attacks from fellow White House hopefuls throughout the entire debate. According to the latest update to the 7 News/ Emerson College tracking poll, the Iowa effect is fading away, and Buttigieg appears to be losing momentum.
Sanders is leading the field with 30 percent support and a commanding 10-point lead over Buttigieg, per polling. Since yesterday, according to the poll, Buttigieg has lost four points, while Sanders has lost one. The debate went well for Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has gained four points, surging to third place with 13 percent.
The fourth place belongs to Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is polling at 12 percent support. Former Vice President Joe Biden is also in fourth place with 12 percent. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, billionaire Tom Steyer, and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick are all polling in single digits.
In a statement, Spencer Kimball, Director of Emerson College Polling, said the following.
“Both Sanders and Buttigieg received a bounce in our poll numbers since Iowa, but it looks like the debate on Friday may have stymied momentum for the front runners. The candidate who seems to have been able to take advantage of the event is Klobuchar who gained four points.”
As in virtually all polls, Sanders’ greatest strength is the popularity he enjoys among younger voters. Among voters under 50, he leads with 44 percent. Buttigieg is in second place with 17 percent and Warren in third with 13. Among those older than 50, Buttigieg is in the lead with 23 percent. Sanders and Klobuchar are at 19 percent, Biden at 16, and Warren is polling at 11 percent.
Sanders holds a commanding lead among “very liberal” voters, 53 percent of whom support him. The Vermont senator is followed by Warren, who is polling at 24 percent in that demographic group. No other candidate has managed to break out of the single-digit territory.
When it comes to “somewhat liberal” voters, Sanders leads with 37 percent and Buttigieg is in second place with 22 percent. Klobuchar came in third with 12 percent, and Warren fourth with 11.
Buttigieg holds a commanding lead among moderate and conservative voters, 26 percent of whom support him. The second place in that group belongs to Klobuchar at 17 percent, third to Biden with 15, and the fourth to Sanders, who is polling at 14 percent.