Iowa poll: Biden stretches lead over Sanders

2020 elections

Elizabeth Warren holds a strong position as Pete Buttigieg surges.

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 third 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 — a fall of 3 points from the last poll — he has stretched his lead to 8 percentage points over Sanders, from 2 percentage points in March.

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Both Sanders and Warren registered at 16 percent and 15 percent respectively, with Sanders’ support decreasing by 9 percentage points. Sanders narrowly lost the 2016 Iowa caucuses to Hillary Clinton.

Buttigieg made a strong debut at 14 percent, or 1 point behind Warren. Sen. Kamala Harris remains steady at 7 percent compared with the last Iowa poll. Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke dropped 3 points and is now at 2 percent.

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, which suggests he has less room to grow compared with the other candidates.

The Iowa Poll, headed by pollster Ann Selzer, is a closely watched barometer of the state’s politics. Conducted June 2 through June 5, the poll surveyed 600 Iowa Democrats likely to take part in the Iowa’s 2020 caucuses who their choice for president would be. The poll had a 4.0 (overall) percent margin of error. Selzer & Co., an Iowa polling firm, conducts the Iowa Poll.

Iowa’s caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 3, 2020.

About two-thirds of likely Iowan caucusgoers, regardless of how they plan to participate, say 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 of major issues.

This poll also marks the first Des Moines survey since Biden and 8 other democratic presidential candidates have entered the 2020 race, bringing the total number of candidates to 23.

Tomorrow also marks the Iowa cattle call in the Democratic cycle, where 17 Democratic candidates will speak at the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame Celebration in Cedar Rapids. The multiple-candidate event will be the first time the runners will be on the same stage. Biden will not be in attendance, citing family reasons.