Sanders holds 4-point lead on Biden in new California poll

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is leading the crowded Democratic primary field in California, according to a new poll from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education/PACE. 

The survey showed Sanders with a 28 percent lead among California voters who said they planned to vote in the Democratic primary. Former Vice President Joe Biden follows in second place at 24 percent support. 

Sanders lost the state in 2016 to Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, coming in at roughly 46 percent of the vote. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) garnered 12 percent support, while former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in at 8 percent. 

California is one of several states to hold their nominating contest on Super Tuesday, which takes place on March 3. The delegate-rich state is set to allocate 495 delegates based on the primary’s outcome, making the state a must-win state for presidential hopefuls. 

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who launched his campaign in November, has poured resources into California and other Super Tuesday states, spending roughly $24 million on ads in California. Yet the USC Rossier poll showed Bloomberg with 6 percent in the state. 

Andrew Yang garnered 5 percent support, followed by Tom Steyer at 3 percent support. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) came in at 2 percent. 

The USC Rossier poll was conducted Jan. 3–10 among 2,000 California voters. The margin of error is 2.19 percentage points.