Sanders slips in NH, Biden and Warren in statistical dead heat

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) slipped to third place among New Hampshire primary voters as former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) fall into statistical dead-heat for the top spot, according to a new poll. 

Sanders, who led in the state in February with 27 percent of the vote, dropped 14 points to 13 percent, according to an Emerson poll released Tuesday. 

Biden and Warren are now the most popular candidates among Democrats who will cast the first votes in the 2020 primary, based on the poll. Biden is at 24 percent and Warren is at 21 percent. 

It’s just a one point shift for Biden, who was at 25 percent in the February poll, and a 9 point increase for Warren, who was at 9 percent in February. {mosads}

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who was a lesser known candidate in February shortly after mounting his campaign, jumped 10 points from 1 percent to 11 percent. The latest poll places Buttigieg in a statistical dead heat with Sanders in New Hampshire. 

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) polled at 8 percent, a 4 point dip since February. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) jumped to 6 percent, after polling at 0 percent in February. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) dipped 1 point, from 5 percent to 4 percent. 

Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang and former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) are at 3 percent. All other candidates polled at 2 percent or less, based on the poll. 

But the popularity among candidates could change before the February primary. The majority of New Hampshire voters, 62 percent, said they could change their mind regarding their current primary choice. That’s more than the 50 percent who said they may change their mind in Emerson’s latest national poll.

The poll surveyed 1,041 registered voters between Sept. 6 and 9. There is a margin of error of 3 percentage points.