Sanders closes in on Biden in Nevada: poll

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is closing in on former Vice President Joe Biden’s lead in Nevada, according to a new poll of likely Democratic caucusgoers released Tuesday.

Biden is in first place, at 19 percent, in the Suffolk University–USA Today poll, but Sanders is at 18 percent, within the margin of error.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) finished third, with 11 percent of the vote.

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer are tied in fourth, at 8 percent each. They’re trailed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who are each at 4 percent, based on the poll. 

No other candidates received more than 2 percent in the poll. 

With the caucuses just over a month away, on Feb. 22, 22 percent of those surveyed said they are still undecided. 

The USA Today poll comes as the RealClearPolitics average of polls has Biden leading Sanders by 8.6 points in the state. A Fox News poll of Nevada released last week showed the former vice president maintaining his lead with 23 percent support, with Sanders trailing at 17 percent. 

Recent polls have also shown a surge in support for Sanders in Iowa. A Des Moines Register–CNN poll released last week showed Sanders in the lead with 20 percent support of likely caucusgoers. 

Biden was in fourth, at 15 percent, behind Warren and Buttigieg. 

Other than Yang, the top polling candidates in the Nevada survey will all face each other in a debate Tuesday night in Iowa. It is the final debate before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. 

The Suffolk University–USA Today poll surveyed 500 likely Democratic caucusgoers. It was conducted Jan. 8–11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.