Iowa poll: Biden stretches lead over Sanders
Former Vice President Joe Biden is leading the crowded Democratic presidential field in Iowa, with Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders in a tight secondary grouping alongside South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the latest poll of the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating state.
The new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom survey of likely Iowa caucusgoers released Saturday shows that although Biden's support registered at 24 percent — down 3 percentage points since the last poll — he has stretched his lead to 8 points over Sanders, up from 2 points in March.
Sanders and Warren registered at 16 percent and 15 percent respectively, with Sanders' support decreasing by 9 points since the previous poll. Sanders narrowly lost the 2016 Iowa caucuses to Hillary Clinton.
Buttigieg made a strong debut at 14 percent — 1 percentage point behind Warren. Sen. Kamala Harris remains steady at 7 percent compared with the previous Iowa poll. Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke dropped 3 percentage points and is at 2 percent. Sen. Amy Klobuchar registered at 2 percent, and Sen. Cory Booker at 1 percent.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was not listed by a single poll respondent as either first or second choice for president.
About two-thirds of likely Iowa caucusgoers, regardless of how they plan to participate, said they prefer that the winner in Iowa be a candidate with a strong chance of beating President Donald Trump over someone who shares their views on major issues.
Biden's supporters are less willing than others to say they are "extremely enthusiastic" about the former vice president, with only 29 percent versus the 39 percent for the supporters of all the other candidates. Biden also has the most name recognition in the field.
The poll, headed by pollster Ann Selzer, is a closely watched barometer of the state’s politics. Conducted June 2-5, the poll surveyed 600 Iowa Democrats likely to take part in the 2020 caucuses. The poll had an overall margin of error of 4 percent.
Selzer told the Des Moines Register that the polling shows a higher than usual early commitment to caucusing in the state.
“We’re starting to see the people who are planning to caucus start to solidify. There’s a lot more commitment than we normally see this early. And some of these candidates who’ve been under the radar start to surface and compete with Joe Biden,” Selzer said.
Iowa's caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 3, 2020.
For the first time, the Iowa poll accounts for the Iowa Democratic Party's plans to allow Iowans to participate in a virtual caucus online or over the phone next year. Among the likely virtual caucusgoers, the top five picks are Biden at 33 percent, Warren at 14 percent, Sanders and Harris at 10 percent each, and Buttigieg at 9 percent. Just 3 percent surveyed picked "none of these" and 5 percent picked "not sure."
Of the potential in-person caucusgoers, the top five choices are Biden at 23 percent, Sanders at 16 percent, Warren and Buttigieg at 15 percent each, and Harris at 6 percent. Seven percent picked "none of these" and 6 percent picked "not sure." The second top five picks were the same candidates.
This poll is the first Des Moines Register survey since Biden and 8 other Democratic presidential candidates entered the 2020 race, bringing the total number of candidates to 24.
Sunday marks the Iowa cattle call in the Democratic cycle, in which 17 Democratic candidates will speak at the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame Celebration in Cedar Rapids. Biden will not be in attendance, citing family reasons.
