Campaign

Biden holds double-digit lead over Sanders nationally: poll

by Aris Folley - 03/09/20 7:57 AM ET

Former Vice President Joe Biden has built a double-digit lead over rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) nationwide among likely Democratic voters, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

The survey, released Monday, found 52 percent of voters wanted Biden to win the nomination, compared to 36 percent who said they wanted Sanders to face President Trump in November.

The poll, which was conducted Wednesday through Saturday, found Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), notched 7 percent of support from likely Democratic voters. Warren ended her presidential campaign on Thursday.

Just 1 percent of respondents said they would like to see someone else get the nomination, and 4 percent said they had no opinion on the matter. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who has been awarded two delegates in the nomination race, gained less than 0.5 percent support.

In the same poll, Biden was leading Sanders by 20 percentage points among white voters, while Sanders showed strong support among Latinos. Biden was the top choice for African Americans.

The survey sampled 1,211 adults, including 206 who reside in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin. The interviews were conducted via telephone nationwide, including landline and cellphones. Among the sample, 34 percent of voters identified as Democrats, 29 percent as Republicans and 37 percent as independents.

The overall poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 points.

Biden has seen a surge in support from Democratic voters following a decisive victory in the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29 and unexpected wins on Super Tuesday.

He has enjoyed a growing list of endorsements from former 2020 rivals, including former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

Biden’s mountain of support from prominent Democrats comes as they work to stop Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, from becoming the party’s nominee.