New Poll Shows Joe Biden Maintaining Strong Lead Over Bernie Sanders
A new poll published by Hill-HarrisX shows former Vice President Joe Biden holding a commanding lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders — his closest competitor in the 2020 Democratic primaries.
The poll, published Monday morning, showed Biden at 35 percent support, which is 19 points ahead of Sanders, who sits at 16 percent. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg scored a third place showing with 8 percent, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren trailed behind the mayor at 5 percent.
According to The Hill, the June 1 and June 2 poll surveyed Democratic registered voters and Democratic-leaning independent registered voters.
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Sen. Kamala Harris both came in at 4 percent of total support, with Sen. Cory Booker at 3 percent support. The rest of the Democratic candidates all scored 1 percent or less on the survey. Unless those candidates manage to significantly ramp up their numbers, these polling numbers could affect the composition of upcoming Democratic debates.
Results of the Hill-HarrisX poll were similar to last month’s numbers, which also had Biden at 19 points over Sanders.
A notable change, however, is Buttigieg, who climbed from fourth place in the May poll to his current third-place position in the latest polls. It should be noted that said shift in percentage is within the poll’s margin of error.
Those respondents identified as being over the age of 50 gave Biden the nod in overwhelming numbers, with 47 percent of this polled demographic giving him the nod. Biden also won the top candidate spot among both men and women, as well as across all age groups. However, Sanders was only lagging behind the former vice president by a single point within the 18-34 age demographic.
Among black voters, Biden was also at the top of the pack. For white voters, Biden once again topped the sheet, with Sanders and Buttigieg virtually tied for second place in that demographic.
To date, no other candidate has been able to knock Biden down from his leading position — or Sanders down from his second-place position, for that matter. With the upcoming Democratic primary debates set to take place on June 26 and June 27, those comfortable leads are subject to change.
Surprised @JoeBiden's holding his early lead in the polls? You may have misread the 2018 results: 21 House members "won in districts Trump carried in '16. They were centrist candidates, & represent where many Dem. & indep. voters are: on the center-left." https://t.co/H5Vvi4VzSZ
— Third Way (@ThirdWayTweet) June 3, 2019
Last week, Sanders’ campaign co-chair, Rep. Ro Khanna, told The Hill that he predicts his candidate will win the Iowa caucus. This would be a major win for any presidential candidate, and sets the stage for strong showings in New Hampshire and Nevada.
“I fully anticipate he’ll win Iowa, having been on the ground there. And I think he’s going to do very well in New Hampshire and then there will be a fight between him and probably Warren and Biden,” Kohanna said.
Buttigieg took a subtle jab at Biden’s age at the California Democratic Party’s annual convention in San Francisco, implying that the party needs, “a new generation of leaders.”
