Campaign

Biden lead over 2020 field widest since April: poll

by Justine Coleman - 10/23/19 8:09 AM ET

Former Vice President Joe Biden has reached the highest lead over his 2020 Democratic presidential competitors since April, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday.

Biden received 34 percent support from those surveyed that identified as Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters. Behind the former vice president, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are about neck and neck with 19 percent and 16 percent support, respectively.

{mosads}The 15-point lead represents Biden’s largest since just after he announced his run on April 25. The former vice president gained support from moderate and conservative Democrats, racial and ethnic minorities and older voters since last month’s poll.

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) follow behind the front-runners with 6 percent support each. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) both received 3 percent of the vote.

Respondents also tabbed the former vice as the best candidate to handle foreign policy, economy, immigration and gun policy. He led Sanders by 3 percentage points as the best candidate to handle health care and ties with the Vermont senator on the climate crisis.

Biden’s lead in the CNN poll comes as President Trump and Republicans have ramped up attacks against the presidential candidate, specifically regarding his family’s relationship with Ukraine.

A call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into the Bidens’ interactions in the country is at the center of the House impeachment inquiry against Trump.

There has been no evidence that Biden or his son violated laws in their interactions with Ukraine.

The CNN poll was completed by SSRS from Oct. 17 to 20 surveyed 1,003 adults, including 424 registered voters who identify as or lean Democrat. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for the overall poll and plus or minus 5.8 percentage points among possible Democratic voters.