Warren is Democratic voters’ top choice for Biden VP: poll

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) ranks as Democratic voters’ top choice for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick, a CBS News poll released Sunday found. 

Seventy-one percent of Democratic voters say Warren should be considered as a running mate, topping the list of potential female picks. Warren was followed by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) at 59 percent, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams at 50 percent and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) at 49 percent. 

The Massachusetts progressive also earned the top first-choice pick for the position, at 36 percent. Harris followed at 19 percent, ahead of Abrams at 14 percent and Klobuchar at 13 percent.  

Warren won the vote among white Democrats and liberals by big margins. For black Democrats, she is among the top picks, although their votes are distributed between her, Abrams and Harris. The progressive also was one of the top three choices for moderate Democrats, along with Klobuchar and Harris. 

Familiarity appears to play a role in the choices, as the three women who ran for president on the list, Warren, Klobuchar and Harris, rank in the top picks, CBS News noted.

The Massachusetts senator earned support among those who said economic expertise is an important factor and among those who believe Biden should choose a progressive running mate. Democratic voters rank economic expertise and crisis management as top qualities wanted in a vice presidential candidate.

A total of 55 percent of Democratic voters think Biden should make a “bold” choice in his vice presidential pick, while 45 percent say he should go with the “safe” option. 

Biden has pledged to pick a woman as his running mate and on Saturday said his vice presidential selection committee is vetting “more than a dozen women.” 

In the poll, Biden leads Trump in a matchup, 49 percent to 43 percent.

The poll surveyed 2,200 U.S. residents between April 28 and May 1. The margin of error is 2.5 points.