Sanders overtakes Biden for first time in Morning Consult poll

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has overtaken former Vice President Joe Biden in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a Morning Consult poll released on Tuesday. 

Sanders captured 25 percent support in the latest poll, his best performance in a Morning Consult tracking survey since last March. Biden, meanwhile, saw his support dip to 22 percent, a 6-point drop from a similar poll conducted between late January and early February.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg saw his support rise to 17 percent, while former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg gained support, as well, finishing the latest poll with 11 percent. 

Only one other candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), notched double digits in the Morning Consult poll, coming in with 11 percent support. 

The poll suggests that Sanders’s near win in the Iowa caucuses last week has bolstered his standing in the race and given his campaign a surge of momentum nationally. It’s also unwelcome news for Biden, marking the first time since he launched his presidential campaign that he has fallen out of first place.

Sanders isn’t the only candidate that benefited from a strong finish in Iowa. Buttigieg’s support surged 5 points since the last Morning Consult poll. He currently leads in the delegate count in Iowa. 

The Morning Consult poll surveyed 15,346 Democratic primary voters from Feb. 4-9 and has a margin of error of 1 percentage point.