Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:10 pm
The Joe Biden surge continues to grow as the former vice president has seen his support grow to 40% as Sen. Bernie Sanders as lost 8 points to fall to 19%.
Joe Biden is taking support away from Bernie Sanders
The latest Morning Consult poll of Democratic primary voters showed Joe Biden’s momentum continuing to grow:
– The former Vice President picked up another 4 points, leaving him with 40% of the vote share and a 21-point lead over Bernie Sanders.
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– Since his announcement, Biden has seen a 14-point gain with voters ages 55-64 and a 12-point gain with those 65+.
– The Vermont senator (Bernie Sanders) has 19% of the vote share, down from a high of 27% in February. O’Rourke and Buttigieg have also slipped in the last few weeks.
Sen. Sanders has dropped five points just in the last few weeks, which mirrors Biden’s gains with white voters age 18-29 (Biden +4). Biden has also gained seven points with black voters age 18-29. Biden has gained five points with black voters age 30-44, and eight points with white voters age 30-44. Biden has gained nine points with white voters age 45-54, and seventeen points with the same age group of black voters.
Biden’s gains have been across the board, as he has broken with all Democratic primary voters. Bernie Sanders is losing ground and getting closer to the 15% threshold for picking up delegates in caucuses and primaries.
Elizabeth Warren Jumps to third as Harris and Buttigieg remain flat
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has overtaken Pete Buttigieg for third with 8%, even though her numbers were down a point from last week. Buttigieg lost two points to fall to fifth, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) remains in fourth place at 7%. Harris was the only one of the next tier of candidates not to lose any support last week.
Beto O’Rourke is sixth at 5%. Sen. Cory Booker is seventh at 3%, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is eighth at 2%. The rest of the Democratic candidates in the field by voters saying “someone else” at 2%.
Warren has moved to the upper part of the field with policy, policy, and more policy. She is taking some support away from Sanders, as her presence appears to be putting a ceiling on Sen. Sanders support with progressives. Harris and Buttigieg have settled into the second tier, and the third tier of candidates are fighting for relevance.
Democratic voters want a frontrunner
Unlike in 2016 when Democratic primary voters wanted more choices than Hillary Clinton, in 2020 there is a mood among a sizable number of primary voters that they want to get the primary over with and get down to the business of beating Donald Trump. Biden has made the argument better than any other candidate for getting rid of the “clown” in the White House. Biden has also been underestimated on policy. Joe Biden has policy chops, so if primary voters want a policy discussion, he can give it to them.
Democrats have the frontrunner, and with the first debate coming up, in late June it will be time to see if they stick with Joe Biden through the summer.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
