Warren surges to 9-point lead in California poll

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) holds a 9-point lead over her closest competitor in California in a new poll of the 2020 Democratic primary released Wednesday.

The survey from Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies found the progressive senator as the top choice of 29 percent of likely Democratic primary voters polled in the Golden State, up 11 points from the same survey taken in June.

{mosads}The second and third placed candidates in the survey, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), saw their support remain relatively steady since the June survey from Berkeley. Biden was the top choice of 20 percent of respondents in Wednesday’s poll, down 2 points from June, while Sanders polled at 19 percent, up 2 points.

Home-state Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) slipped 5 points since June, ending up with 8 percent support.

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), at 6 percent, was the only other candidate above 3 percent support in the survey. That figure represents a 4-point dip from June.

Warren also held a commanding lead when respondents were asked what candidate they giving at least some consideration to backing, 22 points ahead of any other White House hopeful at 68 percent.

Warren also led among white non-Hispanic likely voters, but trailed both Biden and Sanders by double digits among Latino respondents.

Biden was the top choice of 32 percent of African American respondents, leading that demographic. Warren has struggled to connect with black voters so far this primary cycle, but managed to place second, with 24 percent support.

Berkeley surveyed 2,272 Californians likely to vote in the Democratic primary Sept. 13-18. Respondents were reached by email using the state’s official voter registration rolls, and the poll was conducted online.

California, the largest state in the nation, holds its vote on Super Tuesday — March 3 — of next year’s primary, but voters can begin casting absentee ballots a full month earlier, the same day as the Iowa caucuses.

A survey conducted by Emerson earlier this month found Biden and Sanders tied for first at 26 percent in California, 6 percentage points ahead of Warren. 

Wednesday’s poll is the latest in a string of positive results for Warren, who also edged past Biden in a recent national poll from Quinnipiac University.