Poll: Biden leads 2020 Democrats by 6 points

Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a 6-point lead over the rest of the 2020 Democratic primary field, according to a survey released Wednesday. 

Biden gets the support of 25 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the latest Economist-YouGov weekly tracking poll, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) coming in at second with 19 percent and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in third with 15 percent. 

{mosads}No other candidate gets double-digit support. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) round out the top five with 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Wednesday’s poll shows Biden and Sanders holding approximately steady, after garnering 24 percent and 17 percent last week, respectively, while Warren slipped 5 points since last week’s tracking poll. However, several other recent polls have shown a surge in support for the Massachusetts Democrat as she competes with Sanders for the primary field’s progressive mantle. 

Biden maintains his lead by holding double-digit advantages among voters aged 65 years and older and black and Hispanic voters, three core constituencies to his campaign. Warren, meanwhile, leads him by 6 points among voters aged 18-29 and by 5 points among white voters. 

Biden leads all other candidates among self-identified Democrats, while he is virtually tied with Sanders for independents, with 21 percent backing the former vice president and 22 percent supporting the Vermont senator.

Recent polling has signaled a new division within the primary field, with Biden, Warren and Sanders making up its top tier.

Wednesday’s poll was conducted from Sept. 14-17. It surveyed 1,500 adults and 1,184 registered voters and has a margin of error of 2.7 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.