Warren passes Biden in new nationwide poll

A new national survey shows Elizabeth Warren now sitting atop the 2020 Democratic field, further cementing her ascendancy in the party’s presidential primary after a pair of polls reported her leading in the first two primary states.

Twenty-seven percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents polled by Quinnipiac University said they favor Warren, according to a survey released Wednesday morning. Twenty-five percent said they prefer former Vice President Joe Biden.

Although the Massachusetts senator’s edge falls within the survey’s margin of error, Biden’s formidable lead over the rest of the field has crumbled since the last Quinnipiac national poll in August, which showed him with 32 percent support and Warren with 19 percent support.

The latest survey reinforces other public polling showing Warren and Biden separating from their fellow contenders in the Democratic presidential race. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ranked third in Tuesday’s poll, achieving 16 percent support, followed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., with 7 percent, and California Sen. Kamala Harris at 3 percent.

“After trailing Biden by double digits since March in the race for the Democratic nomination, Warren catches Biden,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement. “We now have a race with two candidates at the top of the field, and they’re leaving the rest of the pack behind.”

Warren also bested Biden in a poll released Saturday of likely Iowa caucus-goers, 22 percent to 20 percent, as well as in a poll released Tuesday of likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire, 27 percent to 25 percent. The two candidates were statistically tied in both surveys.

The new Quinnipiac poll comes after Warren’s campaign announced on Tuesday an early-state ad campaign of at least $10 million. The survey is the most recent to show Biden backsliding from his once secure status as the Democratic front-runner — with diminishing support in the early contests crucial to determining the trajectory of the broader primary race.

The Quinnipiac University national poll was conducted Sept. 19-23, surveying 561 Democratic voters and independent voters who lean Democratic. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Politico