Campaign Polls

Democrats split on concern about Sanders’s health, poll shows

by Zack Budryk 11/03/19 08:35 AM ET

Democratic voters are divided on whether Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is healthy enough to serve as president in the wake of his heart attack, according to an ABC/Washington Post poll released Sunday.

Forty-eight percent of respondents said Sanders, 78, is healthy enough to serve as president, compared to 45 percent who said he is not.

{mosads}Of the Democratic frontrunners, voters have the most faith in 70-year-old Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) health, at 80 percent versus 9 percent. Seventy-four percent of respondents believe former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, is healthy enough, compared to 19 percent who believe he is not.

After taking a brief break from campaigning after the heart attack was made public, Sanders has returned to the campaign trail with several members of the so-called “squad” of progressive freshman congresswomen, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

Despite the concerns, the poll found support for Sanders — and Biden — stable since July. Biden led the Democratic field with 27 percent, followed by Warren with 21 percent and Sanders with 19 percent. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, with 7 percent, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), at 2 percent, rounded out the top five.

The poll found a majority of respondents could be swayed to a different candidate, with 47 percent saying they would either consider someone else and 6 percent saying they have no current preference. Of the frontrunners, Warren has the highest proportion of supporters saying they would consider someone else, at 65 percent.

Thirty-six percent of Warren voters name Sanders as their second choice, compared to 17 percent who name Biden and 11 percent each who name Harris and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro.

The poll was conducted by landline and cell phone in English and Spanish from Oct. 27-30 among a random national sample of 1,003 adults. It has a 5.5-point margin of error.